


My Heaven, My Hell

by Sauric



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angel!Castiel, Arranged Marriage, Bottom Castiel, Demon!Dean, Demon!Winchesters, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Soul Bond, Top Dean, Wing Kink, demon!Campbells
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-19 13:44:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7363594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sauric/pseuds/Sauric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is inspired by a series of images on tumblr as Dean and Castiel growing up and becoming closer as they age.</p><p>This is updated once a month or so.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Betrothal

Once upon a time, demons and angels were at war. Destruction seemed imminent, not only of their two lands, Heaven and Hell, but Purgatory and Earth as well.

One dark day everything came to a head and it seemed the closing of the gates of the two lands was inevitable, until the ancient stone tablets were one day found shattered to dust. No one knew who was responsible--the angel didn't want the attention, the demon didn't want the shame--but either way, with the tablets, and instructions on how to close the gates, gone, there was no choice but to find another way.

After many months of negotiations (that several times nearly ended in bloodshed), it was decided that aside from the truce and written treaty between the two lands, the best course of action would be to arrange a marriage.

It wasn't as though demons and angels hadn't married and had children before--there certainly were angels who had fallen to Hell for their demon lovers-- but to intentionally betroth them? This was a first.

And so selected for the betrothal was the new firstborn grandson of General Samuel Campbell of the Hell's Hoard, Dean Winchester. On the part of the angels, their choice was the youngest son of General Naomi Novak of Heaven's Guard, Castiel Novak.

While many of the angels and demons were eager for the war to come to an end, there were those who were opposed to it and still wished to find a way to destroy one another once and for all. However, with both factions on high alert, the enemies of the time of peace found their way underground to wait until they had grown complacent and soft.

Ignorant of what was to come, the two families of the betrothed couple set eagerly to the task of raising their children to be good politicians, if not passable spouses. This was to be a marriage of politics alone, after all. They would have to live together, but love would be of no requirement between the two boys. Just as long as they could keep the two sides at peace with one another, it would be a sufficient marriage.

Gabriel could not, in the least, envy his younger brother for his plight, only thankful to have avoided an unwanted marriage to a monster such as a demon. Doomed to be with something so heartless, thoughtless, and unkind? Too much to bear.

Similarly, Dean was not envied at all by his cousins, being betrothed to a featherbrain. The thought of having to fake politeness to one was bad enough, but to have to eventually endure a marriage? A horrific concept, since angels were conceited and vain and foolish.

Yet for the price of peace, to their parents and grandparents, it seemed such a small price to pay.

Too bad things rarely ever worked out how anyone planned them.


	2. Childhood

The first attempt to bring the two children together was, to say the least, stunning.

A stunning failure, that is.

The moment that Mary Winchester, horns curving gracefully back from her forehead and blond curls tangled around her shoulders, set tiny Dean on the floor, his whipcord-thin tail tipped in a spade-like shape began to rapidly lash back and forth unhappily. His solid black eyes watched the angelic legion before him with wariness, distrust even.

Naomi Novak, her own brown hair pulled back in a severe bun and wings tucked in found her son's behavior little better when she settled her own little Castiel down in front of Dean, his two small wings tucked tightly against his spine and his eyes flaring brilliant blue with traces of his rapidly growing grace. It was not enough yet that he could ever hope to smite a demon, but still the two mothers hovered close.

It was probably a wise decision because honestly no one could give a real answer as to whether it was Dean who flicked his tail sharply at Castiel's thigh or if it was Castiel who used his small glowing halo to hook on one of Dean's horns and jerk hard first. Angry wails filled the room as Naomi reached to unhook the halo and Mary lazily flicked Dean's tail away with her own, both of them lightly scolding with a gentle, "Play nice, boys."

Forced to bear company with the enemy because of the betrothal, both the Heaven's Guard and the Knights of Hell watched, shaking their heads in disbelief. This was a hare-brained scheme to barter for peace. Watching those two boys? There was no way they would ever get along.

Their second encounter proved no better, the third even worse (Castiel had pulled Dean's tail hard enough to make him cry and Dean had sunk his dulled baby teeth into Castiel's arm). And yet, due to the treaty, the two mothers and their guards continued to meet, the two ladies carrying on rather dull, polite conversation and doing their best to avoid politics while their guards lazed about, waiting for the hour to be up. Eventually, Castiel and Dean devolved to sitting across from one another at the table and glaring harshly at one another, after an incident of snatching toys from one another's grasps resulted in very sore bottoms for both of them and two torn stuffed animals leaking poly fiber fill.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When Dean and Castiel were eight years old, that was when the first shift occurred.

Mary and Naomi were both visiting with their youngest in tow, Naomi cradling her newborn, Samandriel, and Mary with her four-year-old, Samuel, perched on her knee.

"Is he named after your father?" Naomi asked casually, nodding at the younger of the two demon children.

Mary smiled with a slight nod. "And Dean is named after my mother, Deanna." She laughed, a sound which surprised everyone for its soft and almost musical quality. Everyone had expected a harsher sound from a demon's throat. "My father may be a General, but don't be fooled. My mother is in charge. That's why Dean is named after her, because he's always been a bossy little thing."

Dean shot a look at his mother. "Bossy is a rude word."

Mary smiled widely at Dean, stroking one hand over his soft light brown hair, her fingers working soothingly around the small horns at the sides of his head. "You're right, Dean. I apologize."

Dean nodded, satisfied at this and went back to glaring with only thinly veiled dislike at Castiel, who was coloring a picture torn from a book. He glanced down at the toy cars in his hands before running them over the couch and his brother's pudgy legs with soft noises of tires squealing and an engine gunning, talking quietly to himself and his brother.

Sam was content at first, giggling and grabbing at his brother's hands with sticky fingers, but when his stomach growled, he began to cry, snuffling softly at first before his voice rose to hungry wails. Mary cast a sheepish smile at Naomi before excusing herself and Sam  to go fish some crackers and juice out of her bag for her youngest, the knight Cain left in her place to keep a close eye on Dean.

It was then, however, that Castiel's older brother Gabriel came darting through the room, school bag bouncing off his shoulder with a, "Hi Mother, bye Mother!"

"Gabriel!" Naomi called out, and Gabriel walked backwards a few steps, bouncing anxiously on his heels. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Michael and Lucifer are going to play soccer with Raphael, Uriel, and Balthazar. They need me to even out their teams."

Naomi sighed, a put-upon sound, and nodded toward Dean and Castiel. "Won't you at least be polite enough to say hello to our guest and your little brother?"

Gabriel grinned, eyes landing on the small demon child running cars over his legs and the arms of the couch before he strode over, crouching down to eye level. "Hey there, kiddo! Dean, right?"

"Be polite!" Mary called from the kitchen before Dean could utter a word, and he glanced back at the open doorway with a surprised expression plastered on his face.

"Yes."

"Nice to meet'cha, Dean-o! I'm Gabriel. You can call me Gabe." The lanky blond's grin widened as Dean blinked up at him, a little put off by his effusive friendliness. Angels didn't talk to demons that way. What was he playing at? Gabriel stuck a hand out.

Dean slowly reached out to grasp his hand, and Gabriel shook it as Dean replied carefully, "Nice to meet you."

Gabriel pulled away, approaching his mother to stroke a fond hand over Samandriel's forehead with a soft, "Hey, little man," before he circled around to Castiel's side. He peered down at the drawing that Castiel was so intent upon and focused on coloring, an amused smile quirking up the corner of his mouth as he ruffled Castiel's dark, wavy hair. "Hey, squirt, what'cha coloring?"

Castiel ducked out from under Gabriel's hand with a glare. "I'm not a 'squirt'! And it's a bee."

"Ah, is it?" Gabriel snatched the sheet out from under Castiel's hands to lift it up and peer at it, holding it out of Castiel's reach as the child leaped to his feet, wings flapping awkwardly as he reached for it.

"Give it back, Gabriel, I'm not done with it!"

"Maybe I want to finish it," Gabriel said, waving it further away as he laughed.

"Get your own then, this one is mine!"

Naomi opened her mouth to scold Gabriel and tell him to give it back and go outside already, but instead, something rather unexpected happened. 

The sheet was snatched out of Gabriel's hand and he turned in surprise, a shout of "Hey!" dying on his lips as he found Dean holding onto the sheet and glaring daggers at him instead, perched on Naomi's couch.

Dean glanced down, seeming to realize feet on the couch was rude, and he scrambled down, still clutching the sheet as he sat back down. "You're s'pposed to take care of your little brother, not pick on him! You're almost a grown-up, isn't that s'pposed to mean you know better?"

Cain, from his seat beside Dean, snorted and started laughing, covering his mouth with his hand to try to muffle the sounds at first, but even Naomi cracked a small smile.

Gabriel smiled ruefully, chuckling and shuffling his feet. "Yeah, kiddo, you're right. Sorry, squirt." He glanced up at his mother. "I'm going outside now!" he said, darting through the house and dropping his bag by the back door before running headlong into the backyard.

Mary emerged from the kitchen as he handed his mother the picture, turning back to his toy cars, leaving Mary to return the slightly crumpled sheet with a smudge of Gabriel's chocolate in one corner to Castiel with a soft, "Here you go, sweetheart."


	3. Preteens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've chosen apples as THE fruit. If you don't know what fruit I mean, I think you need to brush up on your Bible and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The fruit is referred to as merely fruit; however it is commonly depicted in art as an apple-like fruit.

When Castiel and Dean were 11, their mothers finally allowed them more freedom outside of their homes, the boys making their first friends.

Under their protection, the boys made a few friends along the way. Castiel's friends were two girls, a redhead named Anna, and one with darker hair and similar blue eyes named Hannah, as well as a boy named Balthazar. Together, they spent most of their time together reading and studying, playing quiet games that didn't infringe on anyone else's peace and quiet.

Dean's friends, however, were quite: different red-headed girl with glasses named Charlie, a tough kid with dark skin like Uriel and Raphael's named Victor, and a slightly older kid who seemed to have more pointy teeth than pointy horns named Benny. They had no problems running around outside, throwing balls or chasing each other, yelling and shouting and making a fuss.

The first time that Castiel had ever heard anyone yell at them, he assumed for their noise, Dean had yelled back and his group had immediately gone back to making just as much noise as before, if not more. Castiel found that rather rude, if anyone asked his opinion. But truthfully? No one did.

Even so, after several weeks of this going on, Castiel had finally had enough and the next time someone yelled at Dean and his friends, Castiel stormed outside to give Dean a piece of his know-it-all mind for being rude, striding outside just in time to hear and see a younger female demon with softly curling blond hair not unlike Mary Winchester's yelling over to Dean's group, "Hey, can we play with you guys?"

Castiel blinked in surprise. 'We'?

When the blonde demon shifted, he spotted behind her two other girls with dark hair, another little blond girl, and surprisingly, a boy with what appeared to be a mullet and a taller, gangly-looking boy. Sam, Dean's younger brother pushed through the group, waving to his older brother as Dean shouted back. But instead of telling the younger demons to get lost, to Castiel's surprise, Dean shouted back, "Sure, come on, squirts! We're gonna get some apples! Wanna join us?"

Apples? Oh, how Castiel had often looked on those trees with longing for the bright, crisp flesh of one sweet and juicy apple. They were not something afforded to angels until they came of age, but the fact that younger demons were eating them? How was that even fair?

Before he realized what he was doing, he realized he was storming over to Dean, who blinked up at Castiel in surprise before affording him a small, shy smile. 

"Hey, Cas, what's--"

"What do you think you're doing, eating apples? What would Joshua say if he knew?" Castiel demanded, his dark brown wings fluffing up in irritation, only adding to the angry bird look he was sporting.

Dean's smile melted away to one of confusion. "Huh? Joshua?" He scratched around one horn for a moment before his eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, you mean the gardener! It's okay, Cas. He knows about it. Well, about us, at least."

Castiel frowned at this. "Your parents let you eat apples?"

Dean blinked for a few moments, tilting his head back thoughtfully before Sam finally chimed in, "Dean, angels aren't allowed to eat the apples until they're all grown up."

Both Dean's and Castiel's eyes snapped to the younger demon's face, his hazel eyes glancing between them as he twisted a lock of his nearly chin-length hair around one finger.

Dean chuckled, ruffling his little brother's hair into his eyes. "Jeez, Sammy, you're such a nerd, who knew."

Castiel bristled at the implication that being bookish was somehow a bad thing, but Dean didn't seem to notice as Sam turned to Castiel to explain, "Demons are fed apples as one of our first solid foods, although they're cooked down and mashed up."

Even as Castiel opened his mouth to reply, he could see the coming train wreck forming before his eyes as his eyes narrowed and he bitterly snapped at Dean, "Well that would explain quite a bit, I suppose."

Dean made a questioning noise, brows knit together in confusion, but as he opened his mouth to ask what Castiel meant, the angel plowed on ahead, his earlier irritation surfacing from not having a suitable outlet before, especially at said demon that was the source of his entire life's main problem.

"What I mean is, that explains why you demons have such problems with us angels!" Castiel shouted.

Dean's brows only scrunched together more. "I don't have--"

"Like HELL you don't!" Castiel swore, and even Dean flinched at the word coming out of the angel's mouth. "You're started so young on the knowledge of good and evil, it's no wonder you all pick evil!"

"Dean's not--" Sam tried to cut in, but Castiel kept going.

"We'd have all been better off if my kind had just done away with you all after the war, rather than trying to barter a peace treaty and ruin my entire life!"

The yard fell silent but for Castiel's angry panting in the wake of his shouting, and Dean stared, almost doe-eyed and immobile until Castiel lunged forward to angrily shove at him.

Dean startled into action, grappling for his wrists at first to try to hold the angel off, but when the angel snagged Dean's tail whipping about to try to maintain balanced and tugged, Dean's features hardened, and he pushed back with a snarl. 

"Ow!"

Dean's fingers wove their way into one of Castiel's wildly flapping wings, latching onto the feathers and yanking back just as hard.

Castiel yelped in pain, the pair growling and snarling with angry shouts as they grabbed at wrists and tails and wings and horns, pushing and shoving and pulling until Castiel's older brother Gabriel leaped into the fray, flapping his six golden wings as he pried the two apart.

"Hey, hey, hey, enough now!" Gabriel growled, glaring at the pair. "What's going on here?"

"I don't know!" Dean said. "He got pissed at me for no reason and then just started yelling at me and pushing me! I didn't even do anything back until he pulled my tail!"

"You started it!" Castiel shouted back, and Dean's eyes widened in surprise, and then hurt and anger flickered over his features as well.

"He didn't!" Dean's friends protested, shaking their heads, but Gabriel didn't seem interested in pressing the issue and he stepped away from Dean, crowding Castiel back toward the house. When Castiel hazarded one backwards glance before Gabriel shut the door, the last sight he saw was the hurt on Dean's face as Sam gently tried to straighten his older brother's clothing out.


	4. Teens

When Castiel was 16, he was finally old enough to partake of the fruit often limited to grown angels only. However, there were rules still, and that was the part that was stumping him.

Demons ate of the apples all the time, both fruit still on the branch and windfalls. Angels, however, were only allowed fruit of the branch or vine. Not only that, the rules within the garden were not the same as outside of the garden, and because of that angels couldn't fly. What made that especially difficult was that the trees had branches that were quite...high. And no, Castiel still hadn't come up with a plan for how to reach an apple.

Castiel had returned to the garden once again, toeing aside windfalls, wrinkling his nose at the bruised or wrinkled ones. He did manage to come across one that seemed in good condition, and he picked it up, hefting its weight in his hands.

"You don't want to eat that one."

Castiel jumped nearly a foot in the air, making an undignified noise and fumbling with the apple before he wheeled to find none other than Dean behind him, considering him casually from a distance.

"I beg your pardon?" Castiel demanded. "I-I wasn't going to eat it!" he blustered, but Dean quirked a knowing smirk.

"Uh-huh." He stepped closer, grabbing the apple from Castiel's hands and ignoring aborted protests as he withdrew a dagger from his sash.

Castiel tensed, pawing at his belt for something to defend himself with, but Dean only split the apple in half and held it out to show Castiel--despite its pristine exterior, it was bruised and worm-eaten. Castiel shuddered and gagged.

"I thought angels were only supposed to eat ones that are still, you know, on the tree and all," Dean said, and Castiel's head jerked up as he scowled at Dean.

"Yes, we are."

Dean dropped the apple halves, wiping his blade on the grass and tucking it away again before he looked back up at Castiel. "Are you having trouble figuring out how to get an apple for yourself? I could get one for y--"

"Knowing you, you'd probably pick the rottenest one in the bunch just to spite me!" Castiel snapped. 

Dean held his hands up in a placating manner. "Okay, okay, I won't, jeez. Tell me how you really feel, Cas." He frowned slightly. "Can't you climb? I mean, without wings, I've had to learn to make do without them. Climbing's pretty much second nature. I could teach you how?"

"I don't need a demon's help!" Castiel turned away, storming off into the garden and away from Dean.

Dean's frown remained plastered on his face as he climbed up into a tree, snagging an apple and crunching it between his teeth as he watched Castiel try to climb the trees and fail, try to knock apples down with stones or fallen branches without success, and even try his best to fly before he flopped over in a sweaty heap on the ground.

Finally, Dean, for some reason he couldn't pinpoint, took pity and jumped down from his branch, making way to Castiel's side, where he lay panting, his eyes screwed shut against the sun. One eye peeked open when Dean's shadow crossed his face. 

"What?"

"If you don't want a demon's help, how about an angel's?" Dean offered.

Castiel's nose scrunched up. "What?" he asked again.

"Are there rules against asking other angels for help?"

"Yes," Castiel growled, "you're not allowed to ask other angels for suggestions."

Dean shook his head. "No, I meant, are they allowed to help you reach the apple? Physically? Like, if you asked friends of yours to, say, stand on another's shoulders so you could climb to the top and reach an apple?"

"Why?" Castiel asked, blinking up at Dean.

"I dunno, learn how to work together, learn how to ask for help, learn how to be creative with your solutions? Aren't you angels all about learning lessons?"

Castiel frowned thoughtfully. "I...don't know. I'd have to ask Joshua about it."

Dean nodded as he glanced toward the sky, smiling and turning away slightly. "Okay. Good luck with your apple, I have to go pick up Sam now. I promised to walk him home from the archives."

Castiel listened to Dean go before hearing the grass rustle again and opening his eyes to find Joshua standing over him. "I can't use that now, can I?" Castiel groaned.

"Of course you can," Joshua replied, and Castiel sat up.

"What?"

"Of course you can."

Castiel stared at Joshua. "But--"

"You can't ask angels for suggestions, Castiel. Dean is not an angel, and you did not ask, he offered. You can ask for physical aid. Just not ideas."

In the blink of an eye, Joshua was gone.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The next day, Castiel returned to the garden with Anna, Uriel, and Hannah in tow, Anna complaining, Uriel just stewing, and Hannah being slightly more distractable than usual.

"This isn't going to work, Castiel!" His red-headed friend trailed after him, throwing her hands up. "We're not allowed to help!"

"I already spoke with Joshua, Anna. He said I can't ask for suggestions. I didn't," Castiel said as he trailed around the trees, searching for the perfect apple, his eyes widening in delight when he spotted it. He was about to drag the others over to help him up when Dean landed on the lower branch above the apple with a thump.

"You don't want a perfect apple, Cas, trust me," Dean said, kneeling on the branch to stare down at Castiel. "Nice dress, by the way."

"Nice skirt," Castiel snorted back, nodding at Dean's wrap. 

Dean just grinned.

"And why don't I want a perfect apple, Dean?" Castiel probed, glancing towards the other angels who hadn't seemed to notice Dean's presence yet.

"If you take one that's too perfect, you'll end up like Michael, with rigid and unbending ideals of what is right and what is wrong, solid black and white, no exceptions." Dean snagged an apple from a higher branch before fearlessly leaping to the lower branches of another tree.

"And what about one that's all bruised up?" Castiel called up, curious for Dean's point of view.

"You can end up with your sense of right and wrong muddied up, everything a dingy gray. Kind of like Gabriel," Dean replied, and Castiel bit back a snicker.

"So you're saying I want one with minor flaws, but no major ones."

Dean leaped to another branch, settling down over one such apple. "Yup. Nobody's perfect. If you go for something that looks perfect, down the road, there still ends up being some insurmountable character flaw. The bruised one, the flaws are just...more apparent right away. But the ones with small flaws, livable and tolerable flaws, they help you to see the beauty in differences, Cas. They help you understand that there are shades of gray, exceptions." He grinned taking a large bite out of the apple in his hand.

Behind Castiel, Uriel snorted, and he turned to find Anna glaring at him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Dean Winchester. Rather poetic for a demon, aren't you?" Uriel sneered.

Dean shrugged and took another bite.

"I didn't think demons were smart enough for such deep thoughts," Uriel added, and Castiel glared.

"Enough, Uriel. I've selected an apple. Anna, you're the oldest and strongest. Uriel, you climb up first." 

They both grumbled but complied, Uriel scrambling up to Anna's shoulders. 

"Hannah," Castiel said, turning to look for his scatter-brained friend. "HANNAH!"

She jerked up from where she'd wandered off to, darting over. "Yes, Castiel?"

"You, up on Uriel's shoulders."

Hannah nodded and climbed up. 

Then Castiel looked up at the swaying tower, took a deep breath, and made his way up last. He stretched upward, reaching for the apple, groaning in frustration when he found it was still just out of reach. Slowly, carefully, he shifted his knees up onto Hannah's shoulder's, straining upwards, his fingers just barely brushing the apple. "Come on, come on," he murmured quietly, "just a little further..." He pushed up a little closer, then squawked as their tower swayed.

"Ooh, look, a squirrel!" Hannah said, pointing at a squirrel climbing down the tree trunk next to them.

"Hannah, pay attention!" Anna snapped as Castiel strained to push himself upward just a little bit more...

But it was too late--Hannah jerked as the squirrel leaped down from the tree and Castiel tumbled backwards, dragging down Hannah, then knocking over Uriel, who pulled Anna down into a groaning heap of limbs and feathers.

Dean made a noise of distress, leaning down over the branch to peer down at them. "Cas! Cas, are you okay?"

Castiel groaned low in his throat. "I'm okay!"

"Did you get it?" Dean asked, eyes peering around the ground.

Castiel slowly cracked open one eye and then grinned, holding up his prize, and Dean leaped to his feet on the branch with a shout of triumph.

"Way to go, Cas!" Dean swung down from the branch and landed on the ground with a thump and a smile plastered on his face just for Castiel. "I knew you could do it."

Anna was dragging Hannah away while scolding her, and Uriel scowled at Dean, choosing to leave the demon's presence rather than remain at his friend's side, and Dean just smirked and waved at him.

"Not a very brave lot, are they?" Dean asked, and Castiel chuckled.

"No, I suppose not." Castiel went quiet, staring down at the apple in his hands.

"Aren't you going to take a bite?"

Instead of answering, Castiel looked up at Dean's face. "Why are you so nice to me?"

Dean frowned, blushing a little. "Mom said..." He glanced away for a moment before looking back. "She told me...I'm betrothed. Without asking my input, she agreed I would marry someone when I grow up, someone I've never met and someone I didn't get to pick or fall in love with. But...at least I can pick something in my life, right?"

"What's that?" Castiel asked curiously.

"My friends. I prefer having friends anyway. I don't like having enemies, despite what you might think of me. Well, mostly. Except for Gordon Walker and Alistair Creed. They can kiss my ass." Dean grinned. "They're jerks. And actually Zachariah, too."

The smile disappeared, and Dean flinched. "Sorry..."

Castiel, to Dean's surprise, only laughed. "No, you're right. Zachariah is intolerable and rude. Why don't you like Gordon and Alistair?"

"They pick on Sam. For being quiet, for being smart, for being compassionate. He's a good kid, really sweet. Seems like he would have been a better off an angel than a demon. Or at the very least, picked to marry one. But I wouldn't wish my fate on the kid. I want him to be happy and free to choose for himself." Dean's smile returned, a tiny thing playing at the corners of his mouth. "He's much more likable than me."

Castiel frowned, taking a tiny bite of the apple, startled by the sweet and tart crispness spreading across his tongue. "You're likable, Dean."

"Then why don't you like me?"

Castiel looked up. He shouldn't have been surprised that Castiel's constant rejection had hurt Dean. But Dean's expression was open, earnest, a little sad, and Castiel opened and closed his mouth. "I...guess I was just taught prejudice," Castiel replied softly, taking another bite of the apple.

"Will you ever change your mind about me?"

Castiel smiled down at the bite mark in his apple before waving it at Dean. "I already have. You're right; there are exceptions to the rules."


	5. Young Adults

Since the day Castiel had eaten an apple, he had finally started giving Dean a chance in his life. Watching Dean with his friends and family had given him a new perspective on demons and a better understanding of the decision of the angels and demons to form an alliance. If more demons were like Dean and his lot, then it was entirely plausible for it to work, right?

The only problem was, Castiel's own friends didn't seem to agree. Uriel and Raphael would sneer at Dean and leave when he'd come to say hello to Castiel, Anna would ignore him and anything he said (and to Dean's credit, although he'd look a little hurt, he'd never say anything rude to try to get a rise out of her), and Balthazar was such a jerk to the point that Castiel had smacked him upside the head with a wing hard enough to knock Balthazar into the dirt. Hannah, Michael, Samandriel, and Gabriel vaguely tolerated him, although Gabriel and Hannah seemed rather oblivious. His mother, oddly enough, seemed genuinely happy that the two were friends (although Dean's mother seemed similarly pleased).

What was interesting was that his friend Inias seemed the most put out by the steadily growing friendship between angel and demon, going as far as bristling up his feathers and trying to shield Castiel with a wing when Dean would come around. Castiel would, of course, fluff up his feathers in return and flap his wings in a huff, knocking Inias' wing away while shooting him a look of irritation.

One day after one such incident, when Dean and Castiel were 18, Dean watched as Inias flew off angrily, a frown plastered on the demon's face. Dean turned to Castiel, looking him over as feathers twitched anxiously, and Dean reached out one hand, smoothing over the ruffled feathers. Castiel's eyes widened and he gasped, wings only fluffing further before he jerked his wing out of Dean's grasp, and Dean backed up a few steps, hands held up defensively.

"Sorry, sorry!" Dean shot Castiel an apologetic smile. "You seemed really put out by your friend's reaction...I just wanted to help you feel better, you know? Calm you down a little. I didn't mean to overstep."

Castiel frowned slightly, forcing his feathers flat and tucking his wings in tightly. "It's okay, Dean. I wouldn't...I wouldn't expect a demon to understand an angel's body language when it comes to wings. After all, most demons don't possess wings." He edged a few steps closer to Dean, trying to convey without words that he wasn't angry.

Dean huffed a laugh. "I bet Sammy knows all about that. He's a total nerd, that kid. He loves to read, and if there's a book on it, he'll find it and read it." With a little smile on his face, he nodded for Castiel to follow as he made his way toward the cliffs. "Speaking of which..." he hedged quietly, peering at Castiel sideways until the angel glanced up at him, a curious expression lighting up his eyes.

"Hm?"

"What does it mean? What Inias keeps doing, that is."

The frown returned, creasing Castiel's brow. "I suppose you mean to say, if I won't tell you, you'll ask Sam."

Dean shrugged but nodded.

Castiel sighed. "It's a claiming gesture. He's trying to convey to you that he intends to claim me for a mate and that you can't have me. By puffing up his feathers, he's trying to appear larger and more intimidating."

A tiny smile quirked one corner of Dean's mouth. "And by brushing his wing away, you're rejecting him?"

"More or less."

"Ouch. Is he not your type then?"

Castiel tilted his head slightly towards Dean. "If you mean to ask if I am interested in males or not, then the answer is gender doesn't matter to me. If you mean to ask if I am interested in Inias specifically, then no, I'm not. His personality is too aggressive for my taste. I am not some frivolous female to be wooed--not that I would want anyone to think of a female as weak."

"Given your mother's position?"

"Indeed."

"So what would interest you?" Dean asked curiously.

Castiel flushed slightly. "I, ah...I prefer people who are kind as much as possible, regardless of whether one is an angel or a demon. I prefer people who understand the importance of family, those who value their friends, the health and safety of those around them."

"People. Not angels specifically?"

Castiel felt his face grow hot. "You've shown me not all demons are bad, Dean. So I couldn't, in good faith, exclude them as a possibility."

Dean nodded, smiling slightly, taking a breath and opening his mouth to speak--

"Castiel!" Castiel's head jerked up to find Gabriel hovering above them. "There you are, it's time to go home!"

Castiel waved Gabriel off and glanced at Dean. "You were saying something?"

"Just wondering if there was someone you did prefer was all," Dean asked softly.

"CASTIEL!" 

Castiel rolled his eyes and groaned. "I'm coming, Gabriel!" He allowed himself another glance at Dean, who had snapped his mouth shut, holding himself tensely.

"I have to go, Dean."

The look on Dean's face shifted to crestfallen. "Okay, I understand. I'll, uh, I'll see you later?"

Castiel nodded and took off at a run, flapping his wings to take off at the edge of one cliff. He circled a few times as he joined Gabriel in the sky, but when he looked down and spotted Dean hanging his head, Castiel frowned. "You go ahead, Gabriel, I'll catch up."

He could have sworn Gabriel's eyes glinted with mischievousness as he smiled slyly. "Alright, Cassie. Don't take too long."

Castiel frowned. What did that mean? 

Another glance down reminded him of why he'd stayed behind.

"Dean!"

Dean's head jerked up to where Castiel was hovering, flapping his wings. Castiel dove, and Dean's eyes widened as he ran for the edge of the cliff. "Cas! What are you doing?!"

Just before he crashed, Castiel back-winged hard, hovering over Dean by a scant few inches.

"Are you crazy, Cas? You could have been hurt!" Dean panted, reaching up for him just as Castiel reached down, cupping the back of Dean's head as Dean's fingers twisted into his tunic.

"I thought you might want to know who it is I prefer, Dean," Castiel said, smiling slightly.

Dean looked up, confused, then hopeful, and Castiel lowered himself those last few inches, pressing his lips to Dean's for a brief, soft kiss.

"You. I prefer you," Castiel said when he pulled back, looking into Dean's shocked face. Just as he was about to take wing again and chase after Gabriel, Dean grabbed him and pulled him back in.


	6. Adults

For over two years, Dean and Castiel snuck around behind the backs of their friends and families in order to meet up. Sometimes they spent time as "friends" in public locations to maintain the illusion of friendship, going to a bar owned by a demon named Ellen Harvelle, Jo's mother, the movies, the archives, etc.

But the times when they were alone were coveted moments of deeper intimacy, hungrily shared kisses, passionate and heated, tongues twisting together and fingers knotted into clothing. Then there were touches, warm hands caressing skin, presses of lips against necks, chests, no marks ever left behind, fingers wrapped around hard, heated flesh bringing them seconds of ecstasy in short, rough strokes.

Once, in a rush, they had accidentally grabbed one another's sashes, Castiel flying off as he hurriedly tied up Dean's red one blindly, Dean's fingers carelessly tangling as he struggled to knot up Castiel's blue one properly.

Gabriel had noticed immediately, as had Sam, but both Dean and Castiel were vehement--they swapped them on purpose, as friends. (But Castiel blushed seeing Dean wearing his blue, and Dean hotly kissed him at the sight of his red sash against Castiel's white robes, hastily explained as, "It's such a turn-on to see you in my colors, Cas.")

Dean had always been up-front and honest about his betrothal to an unknown angel, his parents and grandparents ever tight-lipped over the identity. It wasn't as though he hadn't tried to find the identity of his betrothed, but the contract was sealed up tight in an unknown location. Not even Sam could figure it out. But due to this betrothal, he and Castiel never fully consummated their illicit relationship.

Castiel's guilt weighed on him heavily. He had once accused Dean, and once all demons, of ruining his life, but he'd never said why. He never confessed that he, too, was betrothed, and to a demon. The more he fell for Dean, the more his guilt grew, especially as their twenty-first birthdays passed and impending weddings drew closer. It was little more than a month until Castiel would be wed and he would have to give up Dean, the greatest thing in his life, forever. Dean at least deserved to know, even if he, too, had to give up Castiel.

The current moment found them relaxed in a quiet, secluded grove, Castiel leaning on his side against Dean's chest as the demon ran gentle fingers through his feathers, Dean's spaded tail tracing gentle patterns against Castiel's thigh.

"Dean?"

"Hm?" Dean was pliant, almost sleepy in the warm sunlight.

"I'm going to miss this," Castiel said quietly.

Dean was silent for a short time before whispering almost too quietly to hear, "Me, too."

"You were honest about your betrothal, Dean. We always knew it was going to end eventually."

Castiel fell quiet, leaning his head back against Dean's shoulder for long minutes before he finally spoke again.

"I was not honest with you."

He felt Dean's body stiffen against his, Dean's voice hoarse as he forced out a, "What?", weak, confused, pained.

"I am betrothed as well. To a demon. It is why I was so angry at your kind and blamed you all for the misery I let myself feel over it."

"Oh," Dean breathed out softly.

"But you've given me a wonderful gift, Dean," Castiel continued as his vision began to blur. "You've given me hope that whoever they are, they might be as kind as you." Something warm and wet trickled down his cheek and dripped onto Dean's collarbone. "I never meant to fall in love with you."

A sob ripped through the air, and it took an embarrassingly long time for Castiel to realize it was him as he turned to clutch at Dean's neck.

Dean gaped at him, but only for a few precious seconds before his arms tightened around the angel.

"You're in love with me?"

Castiel nodded against his shoulder. "I am so, so very sorry, Dean," he gasped out, smearing tears into Dean's skin.

"Don't apologize, Cas, don't ever apologize for that. I've been in love with you for so long, but I never said anything because--"

"--because of your damn betrothal," Castiel finished, scrubbing angrily at his tear-stained face with the heel of his palm. His wings fluffed out, an aggressive display of his fury.

"Fuck," Dean swore viciously, clutching tightly to Castiel. A growl rose in his throat. "Fuck them, fuck our betrothals, they shouldn't get to ruin our lives for politics!" Dean twisted, burying his face in Castiel's neck.

"Dean, we have--"

"No, Cas, I've loved you for so long. Even when you hated me, I loved you. You love me, you said you so, unless...unless you didn't mean it?" Dean's resolve weakened, and the pain his eyes clawed at Castiel's heart.

"I did mean it, Dean. Of course I meant it," Castiel tried to soothe him, and Dean leaned up, hungrily sealing his lips against the angel's, fingers digging into the feathers at the sensitive base of his wings.

They broke away for air, panting desperately as Castiel moaned and shifted against Dean.

"I thought, at one time, I could learn to love my betrothed," Dean said, lips never straying far from Castiel's. "Now I know I was lying to myself."

"What can we do, though, Dean? We're trapped by duty."

"We can run away. We can consummate our bond, then they can't force us to marry someone else."

"But the contracts--"

"Fuck the contracts!" Dean growled, angry and fierce, his tail lashing wildly from side to side in agitation.

"They'll track us down, Dean."

"There are ways to hide, Enochian sigils, cloaking spells."

"They would punish us if they ever caught us," Castiel warned, eyes wide.

"I'd take it to have you, Cas. Please," the last word uttered desperately, whispered against Castiel's mouth.

Castiel considered everything--their families, their friends. "What about Sam? You'd be leaving him."

"Sam would get it. He's never envied me because he could marry anyone he wanted," Dean laughed softly. "It's Jess, by the way. He plans to marry Jess."

Castiel hummed softly. Gabriel had always teased him, Hannah had pitied him. Their mothers had never seemed to mind their friendship; they had, in fact, encouraged it. But this, this was going too far, even for them.

But could Castiel even consider marrying another demon now, miserable and apart from Dean to satisfy a peace treaty?

War could break out again if they did.

But on the other hand, Dean was to marry an angel, Castiel was to marry a demon. They may not be the wives intended for one another, but the contracts would be fulfilled: a demon and an angel would be bonded in marriage. They could broker for continued peace later. For now, they had to escape notice and finalize their bond.

Castiel tugged himself free of Dean's grasp, climbing to his feet as Dean peered up at him in confusion.

"When should we go? We're no longer watched and followed as we once were, but I can't imagine you'd leave without leaving a note for Sam. And I'd rather bring my angel blade, just in case. You should have your jawbone dagger as well."

Dean rolled to his feet, grunting as he dusted grass from his wrapped kilt. "And more substantial clothing."

Castiel nodded.

"The cliffs in half an hour?" Castiel suggested.

"It's not much time...but the longer we linger....try not to be seen, fewer people will be aware of our whereabouts," Dean replied, and Castiel nodded again, flaring his wings to tug Dean in.

Dean smirked. "Are you claiming me, Cas?"

"Of course, Dean." Castiel dipped his head for a brief parting kiss. "Be careful, my love."

Dean's lips parted in surprise for but a moment before he smiled. "You too, Cas."

With that, Castiel took flight into the clouds, and Dean used the brush for cover to escape their hidden glen.


	7. Bonding

Dean dashed into his room, grabbing a duffle bag and haphazardly throwing in clothes, tugging on a pair of pants and tying them at the waist, and grabbing a tunic to tug on over his head. A warm fur made its way into the bag, seasonal changes of clothing, shoes, basic toiletries, a photograph of his family. With one last look around, he shouldered the bag, pausing before decisively squeezing the bizarre amulet hanging around his neck. He stopped in Sam's room long enough to scratch out a quick note--"Sam, please know this had nothing to do with you and remember that I love you, bitch. Keep studying, I know you can do well at university, and please take care of Mom and Dad for me."

Dean stared at it for a few moments. He was doing this. He was really leaving everything, leaving Sam. But...it was his chance to escape his contract and be with the one he loved.

He turned and jogged down the stairs, peering around carefully before he darted back down to the cliffs.

He was early, he knew. Castiel wasn't there yet, so he stashed the bag and paced anxiously, waiting and tensing at the sound of approaching wings. But when he saw Castiel's familiar dark feathers, he relaxed, shading his eyes as he watched him land, bag over his chest and dressed in more sensible clothing.

When Castiel spotted Dean, the tension in his face and shoulders drained. "Dean!" Relief was evident in his voice, and Dean surged towards him, enveloping him in his arms.

"Cas, I'm really glad you're here."

"Me, too. Where's your bag?"

Dean jerked his head towards the bushes, moving to retrieve it. "Do you have any ideas where to go, Cas?"

Castiel nodded somberly. "The mountains. It has the harshest climate, the most difficult to track in. I know of a cabin hunters used long ago to bunker down in. It has some sigils already in place, although none against my kind. I will have to alter them to allow you to enter and instead mask your presence."

Dean tilted his head. "So are we traveling by foot then?"

"No," Castiel replied, smirking at him and scooping him up into his arms. "I figured we'd go by air."

Dean yelped, clinging to Castiel and burying his face in the angel's neck as Castiel's strong wings lifted them both into the air with ease.

"Did I ever mention I hate hate flying?" Dean shrieked in his ear, and Castiel, the asshole, laughed like it was funny. "No? WELL I HATE FLYING!"

It didn't appear to sober Castiel any as he took off toward the mountains.

 

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It felt like hours in the air, but how long it truly took, Dean had no idea. But by the time Castiel finally set him down in a clearing in the trees on the mountainside, Dean was cold and shaking, anxiety still rolling off of him in waves. Castiel finally showed some small signs of remorse for the trouble.

"I apologize, Dean. It was necessary in order to cover ground more quickly."

Dean huffed angrily, straightening his clothing, muttering under his breath until Castiel stepped closer, sliding his arms around Dean's waist and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I have to go alter the warding so you can enter the cabin. After that," he nipped at Dean's lower lip, "I want you to fuck me."

Dean pulled back, eyes wide. "Are you sure? I mean, I could--"

"Another time," Castiel cut him off, kissing his lips firmly. "For now, wait for me."

Dean watched as Castiel backed away slowly, mysteriously disappearing from sight.

"Cas? Cas!"

"I'm still here, Dean. It's the warding. I'm fixing it now."

A good twenty minutes passed before a small log cabin abruptly flickered into view, Castiel drawing sigils in red--blood, Dean realized belatedly.

"Come in, Dean." Castiel waved a bloody hand. "I need to pump water, could you light the stove and set up lanterns? The wood's already been brought in from the pile by the door."

"Um..." Dean slowly approached the cabin, tentatively touching the door, and Castiel shot him an unimpressed look.

"For a scary demon, you're a big baby."

"Hey, banishing sigils hurt, man!" Dean protested.

"Get to work so we can get to the good part," Castiel snickered, and Dean groaned but entered the cabin. Looking around, he noted it was sparsely furnished, a single room, stove in one corner, bed caddy-corner to it. A trunk was nearby, and a solid wooden table with two chairs. There were windows on either side of the door, two more opposite, and Dean grabbed a few of the logs stacked in the corner and tossed them into the wood stove, piling tinder on top. He checked to ensure the flue was open before lighting the tinder, blowing on it gently until it flared, feeding in kindling until it caught and transferred the flames to the logs below. The lanterns were in the trunk with more blankets for the already-made bed, and he was setting out the last one as Castiel came in, looking significantly less bloody. Castiel shut the door behind himself, leaning back against it and biting his lower lip as he watched.

Dean turned, catching his eye and smiling. "Are you nervous?" he asked gently.

"A little. But, ah, mostly excited," Castiel chuckled warmly, glancing down to where his trousers bulged to illustrate his point.

"Is that an angel blade in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" Dean asked, grinning at his own cheesy line.

Castiel snorted and laughed, but he relaxed immediately, even as Dean crossed the room.

Dean raised a hand to his cheek, running his thumb lightly over Castiel's bottom lip before chasing its path with his mouth.

Castiel groaned into the kiss, cupping Dean's jaw as the demon licked the seam of his lips. They parted in invitation, and the demon slipped his tongue into Castiel's mouth with gentle, loving strokes. Long minutes passed, just kissing, but when they finally parted for air, Dean didn't stray far.

"Let me take care of you, Cas," Dean murmured against his lips, and when Castiel nodded his assent, Dean gently gripped his waist and guided them toward the bed. He paused at the edge of the mattress, fingers working into Castiel's blue waist sash to pull it loose and drop it to the floor. Shifting closer, he mouthed against Castiel's jaw, and the angel tilted his head obligingly, even as Dean's fingers slid under his tunic, pushing it up and exploring the soft, smooth expanses of skin with reverent fascination. Dean broke away from dragging kisses across Castiel's neck long enough to pull the shirt free and toss it away. Kissing a wet trail down Castiel's chest, he paused, his hands shifting against Castiel's warm back. In the same moment, he flicked his tongue against one nipple while he dug his fingers into the base of Castiel's wings. Castiel sobbed, his body jerking and uncertain of which sensation to seek out.

"Dean, please!"

Dean hummed against one sensitive bud, leaving the fingers of one hand teasing feathers and squeezing the sensitive gland at the base of the wing. The other hand migrated downward, pushing Castiel's trousers down to pool on the floor as he coated one hand in oil. With a soft bite to the other nipple, he switched hands, clean hand teasing the shivering wings and oil-slicked hand dropping to grip Castiel's impressive erection and give it a firm stroke.

"Dean!" Castiel groaned, ripping at the demon's sash to get his pants down, too. And the moment they were down, Castiel pushed against Dean's body, kissing him hard and rocking against him, bringing their cocks together in a delicious friction. Dean chuckled into his mouth, his own breath coming in faster pants now.

Castiel whined, clawing at the tunic still between them. "Why aren't you naked yet?"

"Eager, are we? Slow down, what's the hurry?"

"The hurry is I want us to be bonded before they have a chance to track us down and stop us!" Castiel growled, frustrated.

That, Dean had to concede, was an excellent point, and he wasted no more time in stripping. He pulled the blankets from the bed, shoving pillows into place before crowding Castiel onto the bed. Digging his fingers into the oil gland again, Dean slicked his hand, and Castiel moaned, hips jerking and cock twitching as it leaked precome up onto his belly. Dean teased the gland once more, just to see Castiel react, and he grinned.

"Later, I'd love to see if I could make you come from this alone."

"Just prep me, Dean," Castiel groaned, swatting him with a wing.

Ducking his head, Dean huffed a laugh, finger dipping into the cleft of Castiel's ass and teasing his entrance. Dipping lower, he swept his tongue over the head of Castiel's dick, and the angel whined, the noise turning into a shout as Dean swallowed him down whole. At the same time, in one smooth movement, he slid his finger inside of his lover's body, working in and out as his mouth and throat worked Castiel's cock. It wasn't long before Castiel was demanding more, and Dean worked a second finger in, scissoring and stretching as he bobbed his head. Castiel squirmed but watched him in fascination, fingers tracing against Dean's lips stretched around him, and Dean's eyes lit up with mischief. Before Castiel could process it, Dean was crooking his fingers and stroking against something that made his hips jerk up without warning as Castiel gave a cry. But Dean followed the movement up smoothly, pushing a third finger in to stretch and tease him open. Castiel fell against the pillows, gasping and panting for air.

"Dean, Dean please, I'm ready. Bond us, please!"

Dean let Castiel's spit-slick dick slip from his mouth as he pulled his fingers free, smirking red and swollen lips as he smeared more of Castiel's wing oil on his own aching length. He shifted closer, pushing Castiel's legs into position, wings splayed against the pillows beneath him.

Castiel tensed when the head of Dean's erection  nudged his entrance, and he drew in a deep breath. This was it.

"Breathe, Cas. Relax and bear down as I push in. It'll hurt less."

Letting the breath loose, Castiel nodded briskly, forcing his muscles lax and allowing his body to finally--FINALLY--let Dean in.

He moaned at the sensation as Dean eased his way in, the full feeling nearly overwhelming as Dean pushed until his hips were flush against Castiel's ass. Dean glanced down to enjoy the view, perhaps a little too much, the sight of Castiel's rim stretched to accommodate Dean's cock arousing as hell.

"Ready?"

"I have been for quite some time, so if you could be so kind as to--"

Castiel's words cut off into a groan as Dean set a hard, quick pace.

"Oh, Dean, Dean!"

"Fuck, Cas, you feel so good, so damn good," Dean moaned back, hips moving desperate and fast.

Fingers dug into flesh, Dean grabbing on and dragging Castiel further up onto his bent knees, bending over him to snatch a hurried kiss from his lips, reaching for his hands.

Castiel cried out, arching up and riding into the exhilarating sensation of Dean driving into his prostate. "Dean!"

With a shout, Castiel's cock twitched between them, spurting stripes of white up Castiel's chest, and Dean fucked him through it, hips stuttering eventually as his own orgasm crested. He tipped over the edge, burying himself to the hilt as he spilled inside of his angel's body.

Where their hands clutched together tightly, they began to glow, Castiel's brilliant cerulean creeping to meet Dean's rich aura, which, to Castiel's surprise, was a clean and lively green rather than an expected dark crimson or pitch black.

"Green?" Castiel gasped out, peering up at Dean as their two auras twisted and merged into one.

Dean smiled sheepishly, the glossy black haze of his demonic eyes disappearing with a blink to reveal spring green eyes flecked with amber and gold.

Castiel gasped at the sight. "Your eyes are..."

"Human, I know. There's human in my mother's lineage." Dean ducked his head, hiding his eyes from sight.

"No, Dean, they're beautiful! I wish you'd let me see them sooner." Castiel reached up his free hand, stroking Dean's cheek.

Dean shrugged, watching as the glow faded, although the growing sense of awareness of Castiel in his own head did not. "It's better to hide them. So the demons don't question my family's authority."

"It doesn't matter when it's just the two of us. I want to see them, Dean." Castiel's smile was gentle and soft.

Dean huffed faintly but finally smiled back.

 

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Matching lockets, etched and winged with feathers on one side, a bat-like wing on the other, began to glow a soft teal color around Naomi and Mary's necks in the same moment. With a gasp, Mary wrenched herself from her work in her garden and rushed across the way, fist pounding on Naomi's door. The door swung open to reveal a very puzzled Samandriel.

"Mrs. Winchester?"

"Where's your mother?" Mary panted out, clutching the locket frantically, only for Naomi to come nearly crashing to the ground behind her in a flurry of soft brown feathers.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know," Mary replied tensely. "There's something blocking them, I can't find Dean anywhere."

Naomi frowned, pulling the locket away from her body and staring at it as the glow began to fade.

"What I don't understand is why teal? I expected some shade of blue, or purple at most. Green would be--I mean, he's not a yellow-eyes--"

"No," Mary cut Naomi off. "Let's speak inside. There's something I must explain to you."

Naomi ushered Mary inside, shutting the two of them in her office before sinking into a chair with a sigh. She motioned to the other chair for Mary, who gracefully perched on its edge.

After a few moments of fidgeting and a few false starts, Mary finally spoke.

"There are mortal traces in my heritage. Human."

Naomi's brows rose, but she didn't interrupt.

"It doesn't matter most of the time. We're demons, all of us, stained or tainted, even in some small way. Even my sweet Sammy." Mary smiled ruefully. "But Dean is different. He always has been. I knew, even before he was born, and I have done my best to hide it. Dean is pure." Mary shook her head, lowering it. "Pure and good. I had to protect him from his own kind, he would have been a target instead of looked up to as a leader."

"Then his eyes?" Naomi asked carefully.

"Green."

Naomi's eyes widened. "A healer?"

Mary shook her head again. "Not a healer. A cleanser."

Naomi tilted her head thoughtfully, a trait Mary recognized in Castiel. "It would explain why you work as a nurse."

Mary laughed, self-deprecating. "I am no healer or cleanser. It was a necessary job during the war, so with my skill set, staying calm under pressure, working quickly, good logic, good eye for detail, steady hands, and an excellent memory, it fit. I stayed with it because the job never lost its necessity and I was good at it."

"No," Naomi replied, measured. "Dean is gentle and good and so very smart, Mary. He gets that from you. What he gets from both you and John is your fierce determination and protectiveness. Your son takes after you. Take pride in it, no matter how tainted you consider yourself to be."

Mary finally smiled, small but thankful. "Pride is a sin, such a strange thing for an angel to recommend."

Naomi smirked, but half a moment later it disappeared. "Wait. Perhaps we are not so different after all."

"What?" Mary stiffened, sitting up and watching after Naomi carefully.

"There's a prophecy. I heard about it many long years ago--it was why the peace treaty had us betroth two sons rather than a son and a daughter, because it was assumed  that the offspring of the union would be the one prophesied."

"I thought it was because the offspring between our two kinds are monsters, Naomi."

"Yes, but," Naomi said as she surged to her feet, "this is different." She pulled out an old tome, dropping it on the desk with a thump as she began to leaf through.

"It was a prophecy made by a mortal, Zoroaster. Of course, it was scoffed at then, because what did mortals know? But then, the first union between demon and angel happened, and the child, it was--"

"--powerful. Almost too powerful," Mary supplied, and Naomi nodded.

"There was fear, and with good reason, because the child, under the sway of its demonic blood, killed thousands of angels, demons, and mortals alike. Until, as during old times, our kinds worked together to defeat it, that is. The prophecy resurfaced for a time later, but after the destruction of the last one, it was determined that it was too dangerous and any attempts to fulfill the prophecy would be punished by death."

"What is the prophecy?" Mary asked, pushing forward to peer at the book.

Naomi paused, shifting the book between them and pointing, and Mary read aloud:

"At the union of the rebellious angel and the righteous demon, light will rise from the darkness and wash the world clean."

"And what was it you called Dean?" Naomi asked.

"A--a cleanser."

"Why?"

A pained expression crossed Mary's face. "There was a girl, a demon named Ruby. She led S-Sam astray, got him hooked on a drug called Demon Blood to increase his natural abilities. It was a rough time and really tore Dean apart."

"He and Sam are close?"

Mary laughed softly. "Very. Dean's always taken care of Sam. Of everyone around him, really. He tried talking to Sam, get him to quit, then to Ruby. He offered help at first, and when that failed, threats. When she attacked, he went to push her away, hand against her forehead, and the next thing he knew, she was dead, eyes burned out."

Naomi's surprise was evident. "Like an angel?"

Mary nodded. "But that's not all. For a while, he was terrified to touch any of us, afraid of doing the same. But Sam, without a source, started detoxing, and it was heartbreaking to watch, the vomiting, sweating. He barely slept and when he did, he would thrash around from nightmares and just...scream. Sometimes for me, a little for his father, but mostly for Dean. I begged him to go to Sam, but he refused until...well, until the detox nearly killed him. I suppose Dean figured it wouldn't matter then, so he finally went to him, grasped one of his hands tight. Sam went rigid for a moment, then completely lax, and for a terrifying moment, I thought....we thought the worst, especially when he collapsed like that. Dean was in tears, he just kept apologizing over and over, thinking it was his fault that Sam had died, but..."

"Sam was alive."

Mary gave a faint nod of her head. "And resting peacefully. The effects of the drug were gone. Both Ruby and Sam had been cleansed of evil. Ruby, too far gone to save, was eradicated. Sam was rescued."

"How bizarre. Any since?" Naomi asked.

Mary shrugged. "Not as far as I know. I know it was around the time he and Castiel began to spend more time together, alone, and he was very emotional about the situation with Sam. I don't know if there's a connection, but the prophecy...Castiel doesn't seem particularly rebellious to me."

"He fell in love with a demon. How much more rebellious do you need?" Naomi chuckled, and Mary smiled.

"I suppose."

"And there was the unusual retrieval of his apple--most simply learn to climb but he employed teamwork. And he refused to make friends with Dean easily, despite our best efforts."

"True," Mary conceded. "I think we should give them a few days and then collect them to let them know," Mary said with a grin, "that their contracts have been fulfilled."


	8. Attack

Days passed in a haze of napping, rough sex, slow, tender lovemaking, and the occasional break to venture outside for water and for Dean to bring back food--a snared rabbit, carefully harvested mushrooms, berries, small flowers and leaves. They would cook in silence after Castiel gave a prayer of thanks for the animal's sacrifice, during which Dean didn't dare tease him about it.

Dean leaned over the table, elbows planted on its surface as he watched Castiel take the last few bites of a pheasant snagged from the low grasses that morning.

"We can't stay here."

Before Dean could call the words back, they escaped him and hung heavily in the air between him and his bondmate. He peered up at Castiel with wide eyes, his teeth peeling a layer of dead skin from his lower lip.

Castiel was slow to finish the bite in his mouth, slower still to reply. "I know, Dean. I've been planning. We can head North, into Earth territory.  There are ways to hide our...distinguishing features." Castiel reached forward, curling his hand around one of Dean's flesh-warm horns.

Dean huffed in amusement and raised a hand to trace a finger along the edge of Castiel's halo. "You really want to hide your badass wings?"

"Humans would be hard pressed to miss them, and your horns would certainly frighten some of them." 

Despite the fact that they knew they should be packing and making plans, the newly mated pair gravitated towards the bed. They laid together, Castiel against Dean's chest. Dean's fingers twisted in Castiel’s dark feathers while his tail traced circles against Castiel's thigh. Castiel stroked the faintly ridged surface of one of Dean's horns. 

"Let me see your eyes, Dean," Castiel whispered softly against his neck.

Instead, Dean squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. "No. I don't want you to see my soul, Cas. It's tainted, dark. I--" Dean cut off with a pained noise. "And I was selfish enough to taint your grace. I didn't even think, I'm so sorry, Cas."

Castiel silenced him by pressing their lips together. When Dean finally fell quiet, Castiel pulled away, putting scant inches between them. "Dean, if I was poisoned by you, I would feel it. I only feel strengthened. Fortified."

Dean slowly opened his eyes, revealing the beautiful green which made Castiel smile. "For a demon--well, even for a human--you have such a brilliant soul. Clean and bright. Typically only human children have anything comparably close, and yet here you are, a man grown. A demon grown. You are truly remarkable, and you're mine."

Dean flushed faintly, ducking his head and softly replying, "Yours," in gentle agreement.

One of Castiel's hands began to deliberately slide down Dean's side, making Dean quiver in anticipation, grunting when nails dragged over his exposed thigh. 

"You gonna fuck me, Cas?" Dean asked, gorgeously breathless as Castiel spread his wings in a dominating display.

"That was the intention." Castiel smirked, leaning over Dean to capture his mouth in a brief kiss. But as he began to tease Dean's hip bone under his tunic, a flash of  **_warning_ ** echoed through him. Castiel jerked upright, alert.

"Cas?" Dean slurred faintly, but his awareness increased with Castiel's agitation. "What? What's wrong?"

Dean struggled to sit up, but Castiel growled, shoving him down into the mattress.

"Cas! I'm not some fucking princess that needs protecting!"

Castiel frowned down at him, growling low in his chest, while Dean returned Castiel’s glare.

"I am a capable warrior, Cas," Dean growled in return. "What's happening?"

Castiel sat back on Dean's thighs with an angry huff. "My alarm wards have been tripped. Both angel and demon."

"Fuck." Dean jackknifed up, dislodging Castiel into a heap as he leapt for his bag to grab his dagger. The moment Castiel had gained his feet beneath himself, Dean tossed him his angel blade.

By the time the wards broke, they stood ready to fight, Castiel's wings flared and Dean's tail lashing.

The door crashed open, and in strode Cain and Abaddon flanking Crowley, followed by Michael surrounded by Gabriel and Raphael.

"We're not going back, Michael," Castiel snarled at his brother, as he edged closer to Dean. 

"We've already bonded. We refuse our betrotheds, consequences be damned," Dean added. "We're in love." He reached for Castiel's hand, squeezing it when the angel linked their fingers together.

"Well, isn't that bully for you, duckies." Crowley smirked at them smugly. "Sooner than we expected, of course, so the ceremony next month will merely be a formality."

"Ceremony?" Dean echoed dumbly, hazarding a glance at Castiel, whose brow was scrunched in a frown. One shoulder twitched upward at the questioning look in Dean's eyes, shuttered with black once more.

Michael sighed, glancing skyward briefly as he opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriel plowed over him.

"It's been you two all along!" He grinned, unwrapping a lollipop and shoving it in his mouth before continuing. "You two have been betrothed from the start. Did you really never talk about it? Or did you spend all of your time macking on each other instead?"

"Gabriel!" Michael hissed reproachfully, but even Cain couldn't suppress his laughter.

"We did not--" 

"Oh, for heaven's sake, we were well aware of one another's betrothal, but we assumed it was to a female each!" Castiel cut Dean off.

Cain's laughter rose in volume.

"And what did you assume that all of those enforced playtimes were for?" Abaddon asked.

"To...to make friends?" Dean stammered.

"And yet you fell in love with him anyway," Raphael stated, glaring at the young demon.

"I didn't mean to!" Dean protested, pushing his fingers into his hair and tugging hard. "But he seemed so...so angry and lonely and I didn't...I wanted him to know he wasn't alone! I wanted him to know someone gave a damn about him!" Dean's shoulders hunched inward, curving in defeat. "I never meant to fall in love, but I did, and then all I wanted was to see him smile."

Dean could feel Castiel's eyes on him, so he glanced up briefly, shyly, to find Castiel staring at him, lips parted in surprise.

"You never told me that."

Dean shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I didn't ever want to burden you with my feelings."

"But I....I told you that I love you."

Dean shrugged. "I know. And I could feel it when we bonded, too. I can feel it now through the connection." He tucked his blade in his sash and pulled his mate closer. "We can't change the past. There's no point in being hurt or angry over it. It's a waste of the present where we can be happy." He smiled, cradling Castiel's cheek in his palm and softly stroking the skin. "We can be together now. No running, no constantly looking over our shoulders."

Castiel finally smiled back, huffing softly. "You're right. And you get to be with Sam, too."

Dean beamed, and Castiel welcomed the rush of relief. Dean and Sam were so close, to know that the brothers would be reunited--Castiel felt Dean's joy keenly.

But before they could celebrate any further, there was a flurry of wings outside, feet pounding as Inias charged in. He drew up short, glaring at the contact between Dean and Castiel before Michael's firm voice shook him out of his shock.

"Inias? What's going on? Report immediately."

Inias twisted to face his superior, eyes wide. "Commander, we're under attack."


	9. Plans

Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael's eyes immediately landed on the demons present, but before Inias could speak, a dark-haired female demon charged into the small cabin. She ground to a halt in front of Crowley, dipping her head in a brief bow.

"Father."

"Meg," Crowley replied, frowning as he glanced from Cain to Abbadon and back to his daughter. "What's going on?"

"Attacks on both angels and demons. At first we thought it was rogue demons because of black stains found in a pond, but whatever it is--" Meg began, until Inias cut in.

"There's been strange reports. Supposedly Christian bit Tessa in half. And then it was believed that Samandriel attacked Bela," Inias rushed.

"But at the time, Christian was seen elsewhere with Lilith--" Meg supplied.

"--and Samandriel was with Naomi for tutoring!" Inias finished. "There's something going on. Something wrong. Tessa is dead, Bela barely survived, hanging on by a thread."

"When did this start?" Castiel demanded, his eyes flashing blue with his grace as he strode towards Inias. He felt a vague sense of satisfaction when the other angel recoiled slightly.

But then Inias' face hardened and he glared past Castiel's shoulder at Dean. "When you mated yourself to that monster."

"Hey, fuck you. You're just jealous--" Dean stammered, but Castiel glanced over his shoulder and Dean fell quiet.

"I was never yours to claim, Inias. I was promised away from the start."

Inias bared his teeth. "But you didn't know it was to him, and you still fell for him! You fell for a filthy demon!"

"I fell for a good man, one who was kind and did not try to own me or assert himself over me," Castiel replied, expression growing stormier with each passing moment.

"None of that matters because he's still a demon--"

"Enough!" Castiel shouted. "My choice is made, my bond forged, and we have more important things to concern ourselves than petty jealousy over a man you hardly know!"

Even Crowley's brows shot up his forehead in surprise, and he smirked, turning back to Dean. "This one's feisty. I like him."

Dean grinned, self-satisfied. "Yeah, I plan on keeping him."

Meg cleared her throat, for as much as she was enjoying the spat, Castiel had a point. "We should return quickly to help gather information."

Cain immediately began picking up and shoving Dean and Castiel's things haphazardly into their bags. "The sooner the better. If it has yet to devolve into in-fighting, it would be due to your mother's presence, Dean. Naomi seems...fond of her, oddly enough."

Castiel and Dean glanced his way, and then at each other with a nod. 

"Yeah, of course," Dean agreed, but he shook his head. "But what exactly are we up against, though?"

"Research is being done now. Naomi and Samuel are working together now, speaking to witnesses. The coroner who looked over Tessa's remains and the doctor who is treating Bela are also to be questioned today," Meg said, reaching for the bags as Cain passed them over.

Crowley frowned, glancing at Michael. "You don't suppose it's....no, it can't be."

"What?" Michael's brow scrunched.

Crowley's eyes traveled back to his own two companions, the Knights of Hell. "It could be something that predates all of us. And if it is, well...all hands on deck." 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When Dean and Castiel strode into the war room in the capitol building, all proverbial hell broke loose as their mothers rushed to greet them. Mary kissed Dean's brow, Naomi embraced Castiel, and the two women welcomed their new sons-in-law with similar fervor.

But the young men withdrew, sharing worried looks as they peered past their mothers to where Samuel stood at the table, John at his side. 

"Grandpa?" Dean stumbled forward a few steps, starting when Crowley strode past him, Abbadon and Cain at his heels.

Samuel barely glanced their way, grunting, and Mary turned, frowning at her father. 

"Dad, don't you have something to say to your grandson? The one you promised away in the first place?"

Samuel finally looked up at Mary's voice, looking between Castiel and Dean with a glare. "Congratulations, so happy for you, blah blah blah. Stop gushing, we have work to do."

Mary's expression darkened, but she touched Dean's shoulder briefly as John stepped forward to address his son.

"That was foolish of you to run off like that."

"Well, no one would tell us we were going to marry each other!" Dean protested. "And I didn't want anyone else. What was I supposed to do?"

"You should have waited and married your intended, as planned! You left yourselves vulnerable!" John shouted, scowling at them both.

Dean flinched, but Castiel stood firm. "You can yell at us later, sir. But right now, shouldn't we be figuring out what it is we're facing?"

Naomi turned back to a book spread out on the table before her. "Metatron and I have been reading through the old texts. From the reports--black goo, multitudinous teeth..." Naomi shook her head, opening her mouth to speak again when a shriek arose from the halls. A distraught woman was practically carried in by Balthazar and Anna as she screamed and bawled, barely held aloft.

"What's going on here?" Michael demanded as he, Raphael, and Gabriel joined them.

"Please, please!" the woman sobbed. "My daughter! It killed my daughter! My little girl!"

"What did?" Naomi asked.

"This...this black goo! It crawled into my daughter's mouth, took over her body! But whatever it was, she was, she was too young, too weak! She...she..."

"She exploded," Anna said quietly, scowling at the floor as the woman's tears began anew. Anna shushed her gently, she and Balthazar leading her away to properly catalog the report of the newest attack.

Confusion was evident on the faces of the younger demons and angels present, but the elder ones, the ones who had lived through the wars of the past shared horrified looks as Naomi flipped through her prophetic text.

"Do you think it's possible?" Samuel asked, turning to Naomi.

Crowley's expression as he strode forward to peer over the demon general's shoulder spoke volumes. "Well, I certainly don't think it's the bloody Easter Bunny."

"Do you think it's possible?" Samuel repeated firmly, glaring directly at the angel general.

She lifted her head to face him, lips set in a firm line as she nodded. "I do."

"The Old Ones?" Samuel said, and Naomi nodded again.

"The Old Ones?" Castiel came forward, Dean close by as they leaned over to look at the book.

"They are known as...Leviathan," Mary finally supplied, closing her eyes. "But they're supposed to be trapped in Purgatory. How could they have possibly escaped?"

"An energy surge of some sort, one powerful enough that it drew energy from all planes would have done it," Crowley said, pointedly staring at Dean and Castiel.

"Us?" Dean squawked. "Excuse me, but we've been out of the picture the last few days--"

"--fucking each other's brains out? Yes, we're aware," Crowley said, ignoring the disgusted looks from Samuel and John. "But the bond between you was powerful. While your mothers' pendants indicated that the bond was forged, it was a bond strong enough that everyone else felt it, too. The energy radiating from it was...well, it was something new entirely. If it took energy from the planes of Heaven and Hell, Purgatory and Earth could very well have been affected, too. And if they've been released, I can only assume what they plan to do."

"And what might that be?" Castiel demanded.

"Destroy everything and take over," Michael supplied with a dark look. "But I thought the Leviathan and Purgatory were a myth."

"Oh no, my boy," Samuel growled. "They are very real indeed. Monsters so powerful God himself forged the new plane to contain them."

"But other angels and demons have bonded before. Why is this any different?" a new voice piped up from behind, and Dean swung around in horror as he recognized it.

"Sam!" He reached for his younger brother, who was quickly catching up to him in height, and tucked a lock of his long hair behind one ear gently. "You shouldn't be here."

Sam glared at him, swatting his hand away. "And why not?"

"Because it's dangerous!" Dean protested, waving his arms at the assembled in the room. "This could be war, with unfamiliar and risky creatures, and it's my job to keep you safe!"

Sam's expression wavered, and for a tense moment Dean thought he was going to have a sobbing Samantha on his hands. "I thought I'd lost you, Dean. I thought I'd never see you again." He bit his lower lip briefly. "And now you're back. I'm not losing you again, not if I can help it."

Dean hesitated, glancing from Sam to his parents to his grandfather. "How?"

"All my time spent in the library wasn't for nothing. Dean. But first," Sam's eyes landed on their mother, "I need to know how Dean and Castiel are different from those before them." Sam stared pointedly, but it was Naomi who spoke.

"We believe they have fulfilled a prophecy," she said soberly before informing those gathered who were still unaware of the finer details.

Michael scowled at Dean the entire time. "You cannot honestly expect me to believe something so foul would contain such power."

Dean bristled, his tail lashing angrily. "You know, I'm getting real sick of people equating horns with evil when more often than not it seems like featherbrains are the self-righteous assholes," he muttered mutinously, and Castiel squeezed his hand.

Sam, however, shook his head and stalked forward into Michael's personal space. "Expectation of your belief is a moot point, given that it's true either way," he said, fury tinging his words. "That power saved my life." He glanced at Naomi. "And you think this power is, what, enhanced now through their bond?"

Naomi shrugged. "Perhaps. Perhaps easier to control or direct. We don't know. There's been nothing like this before."

Sam's brows furrowed as he hummed in thought. "There are the tablets. One on Angels and Demons each. Origins, weaknesses, etc. What if there's one on Leviathan?"

Meg's eyes lit up with a thought. "Often killing us creatures takes special means carried out by powerful or specific individuals. You think Dean and Castiel could handle it?"

"Well sure, why not? They're already unlike anything we've seen before." Sam's brow scrunched, though. "Shit. I forgot about the other problem."

Dean made a noise of confusion, and Sam looked up. "The tablets can only be read by prophets--special humans--and I don't know how we'd find one."

"All angels are born with the knowledge of the prophetic line," Gabriel chimed, pausing as he bit into a Reese's cup pulled from who knew where.

Raphael and Michael glared at him, and Gabriel shrugged. "I'll even go with you if you want."

"You just want more human sweets," Castiel replied accusingly, and Gabriel just smirked. 

"Guilty." Gabriel's grin widened.

"I'll go," Castiel insisted, tone arch, but Gabriel looked pretty damn smug.

"Hey, messenger of God here. It's my job description, and archangel holds more sway than lowly seraph, warrior or not."

"I'm going, too," Sam declared, and Gabriel rolled his eyes

"Don't you think the horns will freak folks out?"

"They're called cloaking spells, dumbass. Crowley's mother designed the same spells used by generations of demons gone topside'" Sam replied, irritation leaking in.

Crowley shook his head, smirking smugly. "Well, well, well, isn't this bunch just full of surprises. You'd be right, Moose. A little magic, and you'd blend right in. So--" he clapped his hands. "Will it be you four then, searching for the tablet and the prophet?"

Mary and Naomi both looked ready to protest, even Michael's face flushing red with anger at Gabriel's audacity. It was Samuel's voice that broke through the coming argument before it could even begin, though. 

"You four search, the rest of us will do our best to try to track down and contain things as much as possible here. The last thing we need are these things making it to the Earth plane, or it will be destroyed."


	10. Searching

Castiel wrinkled his nose at the pile of clothing Gabriel dropped into his arms. Modern human clothing was awkward and uncomfortable at best, and he struggled to figure out the pieces of the suit. Worse still was the fact that a pair of shiny black dress shoes sat on the top of the pile.

Dean snorted, not bothering to hide his amusement at his bondmate's expression. "Oh, babe, no," he forced out around mirth-filled, quivering voice. "No, let's find you something that makes you look..."

"Less professional?" Castiel grunted, glaring at Dean.

"Less like a holy tax accountant."

Castiel continued to glower at his mate.

"You'd look great in anything, but we need to blend in. A suit, well, lots of folks don't trust a suit."

"And how many times have you been to the Earth plane?" Castiel muttered huffily, watching as Dean pulled on jeans, a dark t-shirt, a green plaid flannel and a dark brown leather jacket, concealing his amulet beneath the layers.

"A few."

Castiel's brows shot up.

"What? They have good music. And burgers." Dean shoved his feet into a pair of worn leather boots, lacing them up.

Castiel glanced around to find Sam and Gabriel in similar clothes as Dean's.

"So you're just going for the food as well?" Castiel griped, frowning.

"Nah, I'm going so I can kick the asses of the jerks trying to fuck up one of the best things in my life. I mean, I'm a demon, so I love a little chaos as much as the next guy, but world-destroying makes it my best interest to put a stop to it." Dean grinned cheekily, and Castiel felt his face heat in embarrassment.

Sam handed Castiel jeans, a worn AC/DC shirt, and a blue flannel. Similar work boots and a green canvas jacket landed on top. "Get dressed. It's easier to ensorcel clothing you're already wearing."

"Ensorcel. What? Who even uses words like that? You're such a nerd." Dean smirked at his younger brother.

Sam huffed irritably. "Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Alright, children!" Gabriel cut in, clapping his hands together. "Let's get this show on the road."

Dean raised an eyebrow suggestively at his mate. "I could help you change."

"No!" Castiel shouted at the same time as Sam gagged and Gabriel groaned.

"Gross, Dean!"

"We'll never get out of here."

Turning his back, Castiel shielded himself with his wings and quickly changed into the human-style clothing, cursing the stiff fabric of the pants with every tug and pull to drag the monstrosity on.

But when he peeked over his shoulder and caught sight of how those very same pants so nicely cupped the curve of Dean's ass and accentuated the delicious bow of his legs, he took back every horrible thought he'd had.

"You look good." Dean grinned when Castiel turned back around, elevator eyes assessing the way the jeans hugged his lower half. "Shame to cover up those thighs, though."

"So help me Lucifer, Dean, I will leave your ass behind, and I have actual ideas of where to find the damn tablet."

"Alright, alright, quit bitching, Sammy."

Sam sighed, opening his mouth to fire off a complaint before snapping it shut again. Dean would just do it more if he did. So instead he picked up his dagger, slicing open his finger and sketching a bloody sigil. "Qui adestis, angeli et daemones, occultatum a sanguine, qui adestis, angeli et daemones, occultatum a sanguine, qui adestis, angeli et daemones, occultatum a sanguine!"

The sigil glowed brighter and brighter until Castiel had to squeeze his eyes shut. A chill washed over him, his feathers shivering in complaint, and he jumped slightly when fingers brushed against his.

"Sorry," Dean murmured quietly, and Castiel replied by grabbing his hand with a gentle squeeze as the light faded and he pried his eyes open again.

He instantly jerked in surprise at the sight--or rather the lack thereof--of his wings over his shoulder. His free hand shot up, and sure enough, his halo was gone, too. He could feel their presence in an abstract sense, but their physical presence was completely gone.

"They're still there," Gabriel assured, and wow, he looked so small without his six majestic wings filling up the space around him. "If you concentrate hard enough, you can use them. But fair warning, flying startles the mortals."

He yelped at a sharp swat to his rear, twisting to glare at Dean's stupidly smug expression. "Did you just--did you just smack my ass with your tail?"

The way Dean's smirk only grew told him that was exactly what happened. Castiel scrunched his brows together, the sensation of trying to focus on his wings like dragging them through mud before he finally managed a clumsy slap against the back of Dean's head. For a brief instant, Dean jumped in surprise before his expression morphed into one of pride.

"There you go, you're getting the hang of it!"

Castiel took a moment to appraise Dean's new appearance--the tail and horns gone, his clear and vibrant green eyes on full display. Well that was an unexpected bonus.

"We're going topside, stop gawking at each other, dumbasses. The country we're going to isn't exactly gay-friendly." Sam scowled at the pair.

Dean and Castiel dragged their eyes away from one another to blink almost dazedly at Sam, as if they'd forgotten he and Gabriel were even there.

"Where are we going?" Dean scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"The US. There's word of an archaeological dig in Iran where they've found Biblical artifacts. It would be a good place to start. So seriously, guys. No hand-holding, no kissing, no mooning at each other. You are friends as far as they're concerned," Sam warned.

Dean wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Someone needs to inform the dumb humans that Chuck doesn't care," he muttered mutinously under his breath as Sam sighed, exasperated and so very done with Dean's bullshit.

"So why the US? Why not Iran?" Castiel tilted his head, squinting at Sam.

"They've shipped them to a university in Chicago, Illinois," Sam replied, as if it should have been obvious, and Dean was moments away from tackling his brother when Gabriel snapped his fingers and everything wildly shifted sideways.

Between one blink and the next they were standing in the alleyway behind a large building emitting the overwhelming odors of dozens of kinds of foods overlapping one another. Castiel started sharply, staring up at the unfamiliar structure with wide-eyed terror...and nausea. Definitely nausea because human food did not actually smell that good.

"You okay, Cas?" Dean asked, and Castiel's head jerked up briefly and then down again to peer at where he was clutching Dean's sleeve far too tightly.

"I..." He swallowed hard. And then again. "I do not believe that human food is anywhere near as appetizing as you would have led me to believe," he finally settled on saying.

Dean snorted, leaning in to kiss his cheek before he froze mid-motion, clearing his throat and backing away. "'s just a college dining hall, Cas. Not fine dining or anything."

Hurt gleamed in Castiel's eyes, despite Sam's clear warning, but he twisted away, scowling. "So...where are we going to start looking?"

"History department is housing the artifacts now," Gabriel said, passing out pieces of plastic listing human names, ages, residences...a "driver's licence". A second piece of plastic listed Castiel as a student at a Stanford University in California.

"So we are posing as...students?"

"You're students, Cassie. I'm your professor." Gabriel winked and strode off with Castiel sputtering at his departing back.

Sam grabbed Castiel's sleeve and trailed after him, Dean following like a confused but obedient puppy in their wake. "Wait, why?" Dean's brows scrunched into a vee.

"To gain access to the tablet if it's there, Dean," Sam sighed. "And to think Naomi theorizes that you're supposed to be the one to save the universe. We're doomed."

Anger twisted Dean's features. "Hey, fuck you. I didn't ask for this. I never said I was smart, I'm not ambitious, I don't know why I got stuck with this! Anyone but me would be a better choice!" Dean hissed at him. "I'm not a hero! I'm just a guy!"

Castiel's mouth turned down in a frown as he wrenched his sleeve free from Sam's grasp. "Dean, you go out of your way to look out for others, to include them, to protect them," he growled low, stalking back towards Dean and radiating indignant fury. "Don't you dare tell me that's not being a hero."

Dean's eyes flared wide lips parting in surprise at the heat in Castiel's voice. "That--that's called being decent."

"And far too many are not. So case in point. Not even I can claim to be that, though I try much harder these days."

Dean stared a few beats longer until Gabriel finally cut in. "Can you two have makeup sex later? Evil monsters on the loose, killing people, wreaking havoc, ringing any bells?" He latched onto one of Dean's sleeves and between Gabriel and Sam, they finally managed to propel Castiel and Dean into motion.

They made their way to the history department, the three youngsters smiling politely as Gabriel introduced them to the department head, one Dr. Gaines.

"Dr. Gaines! I'm Dr. Milton, and these are my students. Mr. Smith and Mr. Novak are graduate students, Mr. Wesson is an undergrad, but eager and exceedingly bright."

"Ah, the bunch on loan from California! We can really use the help." Dr. Gaines smiled, something greasy about it, and Castiel forced himself to suppress a disgusted shudder. Something...something felt off, but what exactly, he wasn't sure. "Right this way, we'll get you started immediately!"

Castiel started slightly when Dean prodded his side, but there was no bite to the glare he shot at his mate.

Down the hall, Dr. Gaines handed out gloves and a shipment manifest, pointing out the tools and handing out a copy of the shipment manifest. The moment he had his back turned, though, Sam surreptitiously swiped a sheet of paper off the desk before Dr. Gaines had the chance to sweep everything into a drawer and lock it.

"So if you can take down descriptions and measurements, and take new pictures against the rulers, that would be a great start," the doctor said, motioning at Castiel, Sam, and Dean. "And I'll show the professor here which vaults we're using."

Gabriel disappeared down the hall after the doctor, and Sam wrenched the sheet out from under his jacket.

"What'd you get?" Dean urged, quickly crossing the room to his brother.

"An older copy of the manifest. The new one is missing stuff. Gaps in the numbers." Sam was silent for a long moment until he gasped. "Including a clay tablet!" he whispered harshly. "It could be nothing, or something else entirely, but that guy gives me a bad feeling."

"You, too?" Dean asked quietly. "Thought it was just me."

Castiel shook his head. "Me as well. We need to--" For an instant, he froze. But a second later, he snatched the sheet from Sam and shoved it into Sam's jacket pocket, before lurching forward with a low moan.

"Cas?!" Dean's voice rose in alarm as the door swung open.

Dr. Gaines peered in, a concerned frown in his face. "Is everything alright, Mr. Novak?"

"I...I apologize. I'm hypoglycemic. My blood sugar is dropping very low." Castiel waved a quivering, weak hand at Sam. "Can you...go see if Dr. Milton has my extra glucose tablets, please?"

Sam's expression remained puzzled, and Castiel grit his teeth. "You know, in his jacket pocket?"

Sam's eyes widened as Castiel's meaning suddenly dawned on him. "Oh, right, his pocket!"

"It's right down the hall on the left. The door is open." Dr. Gaines frowned, pulling a chair close and urging Castiel to sit.

When Sam came back a few minutes later empty-handed, he shook his head. "Says he can't find any but he'll keep looking."

"Do you have vending machines?" Dean blurted out, and Dr. Gaines nodded.

"Now really isn't the time for snacking," Sam bit out.

"Not for me, dumbass!" He nodded at Castiel. "Stay here with him. Dr. Gaines, show me where."

Ten minutes after Dean left, Gabriel came rushing back in, something wrapped securely in his jacket. "I found the storage case! The picture on the outside indicates it's our tablet!" He shoved it at Sam, and Sam held tight to it as Castiel lurched forward into his own lap.

Dean came back in with Dr. Gaines at his heels, carrying a prepackaged sugar-coated monstrosity. He ripped it open and tore off a piece to hand to Castiel. 

Castiel popped it into his mouth, grimacing. "Thank you," he choked as he forced himself to chew and swallow. Allow him to reiterate how horrible human food was!

"Sorry, they didn't have anything you like. I had to pick the best option available."

"That's because vending machines don't sell fresh fruit. You should go back to the hotel and rest, Mr. Smith can take you. We'll walk you out and wait with you while he gets the car." Gabriel nodded somberly while Sam draped Gabriel's jacket over his arm to conceal the wooden box clutched to his chest.

"Can I be of any more assistance?" Dr. Gaines eyed them, frowning.

"No, thank you," Castiel replied, eyes closed. "I apologize for the inconvenience. We will see you tomorrow bright and early, Dr. Gaines."

"Of course."

Dean "helped" him to his feet, the others crowding close in mock concern as Sam concealed himself behind Castiel, and the four tripped out the door towards the parking lot. Once they rounded the corner behind the dining hall, Castiel's shoulders sagged in relief as he let out a gust of air. "That was gross, Dean. What was that, even?"

"Uh..." Dean glanced at the package in his hand. "Honey bun."

"I don't want strange terms of endearment, I want to know what garbage you fed me!"

"It's called a honey bun!" Dean exclaimed, holding the packaging up, and Castiel's cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment.

"Oh."

Gabriel pushed past them, reaching for his jacket and the hidden box Sam clutched beneath it, running his fingers over the surface of the wood almost reverently as he held it in his hands. "We should get out of here before he has a chance to notice this is missing."

Three heads jerked in solemn nods in agreement, and Gabriel snapped them away to an empty room in a quiet hotel miles away.

They'd made it away with the tablet.

Too easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Latin translation is by each phrase, not as a full sentence.  
> Qui adestis: those gathered (to include all present in the room)  
> Angeli et daemones: angels and demons (excluding any lurking animals or beasts)  
> Occultatum a sanguine: conceal us by blood (blood as the spell binding element)
> 
> In triplicate because there is power in threes (Holy Trinity for example).


	11. False Lead

It was three a.m. when the rarely-used cell phone rang.  
  
Three. Fucking. A.M.  
  
He was going to exorcise the demon responsible.  
  
"John Winchester, this has better be a matter of life and death," Bobby Singer grumped sleepily into the phone after he finally pawed it in range to pick it up.  
  
"Isn't it always?"  
  
Bobby sighed. "What's going on now?" He rolled over slowly, staring at the ceiling.  
  
"So, you remember my son Dean, right?"  
  
"Yep," Bobby yawned widely. "Him and Sam. You haven't brought the boys 'round in quite some time." Swiping his fingers over his eyes, a memory kicked its way to the front of Bobby's consciousness. "Dean's due to get married or whatever any day now, right? To an angel, as I recall."  
  
"Yeah, about that..."  
  
This couldn't possibly be good.  
  
"The boy went and..." John trailed off and sighed. "Fell in love, shall we say. Got himself bonded and mated ahead of schedule. We should be thankful it was to the right angel, at least."  
  
Okay, and...?  
  
John continued, unprompted. "It seems their mating may have, er, had some unwanted side effects."  
  
Fuck. "Such as?" Did he need to be keeping an eye out for psychotic angels and demons now?  
  
"The shockwave of power it created triggered the release of some very unwanted guests. Crowley says they're called Leviathan--primordial beasts that predate even angels. The fuckers are pretty dangerous, and they're wreaking havoc."  
  
"What kind of havoc?"  
  
"They're like shapeshifters, except there's no reaction to silver. We're trying to figure out how to contain them, seeing as they're bent on destroying demons and angels alike with one common goal in mind." Bobby grit his teeth. "They're interested in humanity. As a food source."  
  
"Balls." Bobby sighed, listening as John filled him in. "So what do you want me to do?"  
  
"We've done our best to try to contain the bastards, but they're damn sneaky, and the last one we captured, uh, ate itself to death. We're afraid that despite everything, they've reached the Earth plane. My sons have gone in search of answers, but you know what I'm asking here, Bobby."  
  
"I'll keep my eyes peeled and ears open, John."  
  


 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
  
  
Dean stared down into the box in his lap. "What do you mean, it's fake?"  
  
"I mean exactly what I said, numb-nuts," Gabriel growled. "There isn't even a scrap of holy energy infused into the damn thing!"  
  
"Hey, put the dick away, cupcake!" Dean snarled back, lifting the offending slab of clay. "You're the one who was so sure this was the right damn box! It's not my fault you picked the wrong thing!"  
  
"I didn't pick the wrong th--"  
  
"Arguing isn't going to solve anything!" Castiel cut in, rising to stand between Gabriel and Dean and glaring down his older brother.  
  
"Sure, take your fuck buddy's side," Gabriel muttered mutinously.  
  
"He's my mate, Gabriel, and there aren't sides in this! The only side I'm on is the side that's working to figure out a solution!" Castiel scowled at his brother for a moment longer before turning to take the fake tablet from Dean. "How do they keep track of the collection?"  
  
"Computers," Sam chimed in. "They probably have digital records of every artifact."  
  
"What about destinations? Would they keep track of where artifacts are going?" Castiel asked, and Sam nodded.  
  
"Of course they would. Something as rare and as precious as Middle Eastern artifacts wouldn't be left to the wind. They'd have meticulous logs."  
  
"How are we supposed to check, though?" Dean frowned, glancing at Sam. "They know our faces. There's no way they haven't noticed their fake is missing by now, so we can't just go waltz back in and look."  
  
"We could hack the system?" Sam offered tentatively, and Dean's brows shot up.  
  
"Wait, you can do that?"  
  
"Well, I can't...but a computer hacker could." Sam winced.  
  
"Great. And just where are we supposed to get a computer hacker? We can't just pull one out of our asses," Gabriel replied, wrinkling his nose.  
  
"Bite me, Gabe," Dean groused, and Gabriel leered.  
  
"I'd say yes, but Cassie here might castrate me."  
  
Castiel sighed, opening his mouth to speak again, but Sam cut him off.  
  
"I...might have someone who could possibly be convinced to help." When no one said anything else, Sam tentatively added, "Her name is Charlie Bradbury."  
  
Dean's face split into a grin. "Sammy, you dog!"  
  
Sam just sighed. "She's a lesbian, Dean."  
  
"So are you, Samantha."  
  
"Dean!" Castiel's aggravation bled into his tone, and the demon ducked his head sheepishly.  
  
"Sorry, you were saying?"  
  
Sam bit his lower lip, glancing skyward in a mockery of supplication for patience before letting out a gust of air. "I met her when I was looking for that...thing for your birthday."  
  
"'Thing'?" One of Castiel's brows rose, and his head whipped around to stare at Dean, eyes demanding an explanation.  
  
"Wh-whoa, no, nothing like that!" Dean swung the back of his hand at Sam, swatting his arm. "Way to make it sound like something dirty, bitch."  
  
"Jerk."  
  
"Anyway, it's not...I just..." Dean's cheeks tinged pink. "It's a light saber, okay?"  
  
The second brow joined the first on Castiel's face. "A what?" he asked, just as Gabriel began to cackle, slapping his thigh.  
  
"No. No way! Oh, this is rich! Dean Winchester, grandson of Henry Winchester, General of the demon hoard, is a closet geek! And not just a geek, but of human entertainment!"  
  
The flush on Dean's face darkened. "Shut up! Star Wars is a good film series! Well...episodes four through six, at least..."  
  
"Anyway!" Sam cut in sharply with a glare at the oldest angel. "I found her online while looking for the, uh, merchandise, and I met her in person to make the exchange since there's...not really a shipping address for Hell."  
  
Gabriel's smirk remained plastered on his face, and he snorted. "A demon deal for a toy. Who knew?"

"It's not a toy!" Dean protested. "It's a collectible!"  
  
"And it wasn't that much of a deal. I just helped her out of a jam with the government...and her identity...and she owes me a favor," Sam added with a shrug.  
  
"Well okay then! Time to cash that puppy in!" Gabriel exclaimed, snapping his fingers. The next thing they all knew, they were crowded into a small apartment, Dean promptly tripping backwards and landing on a hideous orange-red couch as a woman shrieked.  
  
Dean's head jerked up, his hand automatically reaching for the dagger on his belt, and Castiel's hand twitched for his angel blade. Sam darted between them, blocking the woman from view before Dean could get a clear look at her.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Charlie! Charlie, it's just me, Sam. Remember?"  
  
"Yeah, I remember. Christo!" the woman snarled, and Sam winced while Dean growled, eyes flickering black.  
  
"Calm down, Charlie. This is my brother, Dean."  
  
"Dean...as in, the light saber guy?" A redheaded woman peeked around Sam's bulk, wide-eyed as he picked himself up from the couch and brushed a hand over his shirt. "The light saber guy is a demon??"  
  
"Hey, demons are allowed to like Star Wars!" Dean shot back with a smirk. "It's angels who are the stuffed shirts."  
  
Castiel frowned as Charlie's gaze slid from Dean to him and Gabriel.  
  
"Angels?" Charlie asked faintly.  
  
"Yeah. This is Castiel and Gabriel." Dean waved a hand at them.  
  
"Gabriel. As in GABRIEL, Gabriel."  
  
Gabriel grinned widely at her, snapping off a length of KitKat that appeared out of nowhere. "That'd be the one."  
  
"Oh. Shit. Um, I mean--y-you aren't here to like...smite me and send me to hell now, are you?" Charlie stammered, her face slowly turning redder than her hair.  
  
"For what?" Sam asked.  
  
"The whole....lesbian thing? I thought God was kind of against that and all. You know, hellfire and damnation?"  
  
"Our Father is utterly indifferent to sexual orientation," Castiel replied, glancing at Dean as he and Gabriel snorted in amusement.  
  
"Actually, Castiel here is...well, for lack of a better term, he's my brother-in-law. Dean's mate. Er, husband, I guess you'd say here," Sam replied, shooting the angel a crooked smile. "Anyway, I'm here because we need your help, and I'm looking to cash in that favor you owe me."  
  
Charlie's head fell back as she groaned. "Now? Really?"  
  
"'Fraid so, missy. Kinda critical timing and all." Gabriel smirked at her. "So...anyway, after Cassie and Dean-o here got hitched, it kind of released an energy wave of cosmic proportions and accidentally triggered the escape of monsters. With lots of teeth."  
  
Blood drained from Charlie's face, eyes haunted as her pallor turned ashen. "Like...like face split open with teeth kind of monster?"  
  
Sam nodded slowly, squinting at her. "Yes, why?"  
  
"My, um, my boss might have been...um...anyway, what's the point of them being here? Steal resources? Enslave us?"  
  
"Planetwide value meal. We're the meat," Gabriel replied.  
  
Charlie huffed out a disbelieving laugh before looking around at their serious expressions. "You can't be..." Slowly, her own smile slipped away. "Okay then. What do you need me for?"  
  
"Well, there's an artifact we can use to find a way to stop them. The problem is, it's not where we thought it would be. We need you to hack the computer system for the University of Illinois, Chicago." Sam let out a slow breath.  
  
"What??" Charlie squawked. "I can't--"  
  
"Can't? Charlie, you told me there wasn't anything you couldn't hack. This is critical. Not just for humanity, either. These monsters are going after angels and demons, too," Sam cut in, pleading with her. "They won't stop until we're all dead and humans are being systematically destroyed."  
  
Dean shifted slowly, subtly reaching for Castiel's hand, squeezing it as Charlie's eyes flickered nervously over them before a gust of air burst from her lungs--a defeated sigh.  
  
"Okay. Okay, fine. I can't believe I'm saying yes to a demon yet again, but let's do this. What am I looking for?"  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, my lovelies! I missed you all!
> 
> For now, I'm updating as I finish chapters. Stuff is unbeta'd, I apologize.
> 
> The planetwide value meal line is straight from S07E20.


	12. A Little Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? I love Bobby, his death devastated me. He's alive damn it.

 

Bobby would seriously have to remember to send Don Stark a fruit basket. Witch or not, the spell had done the trick, and now he had one of the creepy bastards locked up in his basement. Jody Mills, a friend of his and the local sheriff, was upstairs cleaning up the evidence of their bringing the monster here while he stood in the basement, experimenting with just how to exterminate the creature, or at least hold one off.

The only problem was, he'd accidentally touched the monster skin to skin, and now the asshole was wearing his face and taking digs at his memories.

"I can't say I'm surprised you were such a disappointment to your daddy," the creature drawled in Bobby's very own voice. "Couldn't protect your mama and couldn't keep your shit together and keep your mouth shut."

Bobby snorted, slashing silver across the creature's arm. It oozed black under the pressure of the blade and healed. Bronze and iron resulted in the same.

Acid burned only briefly, electricity only made it quiver and and jerk. Salt had no effect, holy water did nothing more than make the creature wet, and it laughed at the futility.

It stopped laughing when Bobby lopped off its head.

Bobby...Bobby stopped laughing when the damn thing reattached itself.

"Why even bother?" the monster laughed. "As soon as this spell wears off, how long do you think these chains'll hold?" A wide grin split across its face. "I'm going to enjoy eating you right down to that hat of yours."

"You a Browning fan?" Bobby interrupted, and the monster quirked an eyebrow. "Robert Browning. Man's reach should exceed his grasp."

The creature seemed to muse over it for a brief moment, nodding. "That's lovely, I'll have to remember that when I--"

Bobby raised a machete, ready to take its head off again, even just to shut it up briefly, when something dripped between the floorboards, striking the monster's skin with a sizzle.

"What is that?" the monster demanded, staring at the hole eating away in his skin in fascination. It quickly slipped into horror as it sizzled again and the hole grew. "Get it off!" It squirmed and strained against the chains holding it down. "Get it off!"

Bobby turned and flew up the stairs, staring at Jody as she wiped up the floor from a bucket.

"Sorry," she said, shooting him a sheepish half-smile, "little bit of a snafu." She cut off with a startled noise as Bobby grabbed her abruptly, dragging her into a kiss, her eyes wide. "O...kay. I was not expecting that."

"What was in that bucket??" Bobby demanded, and Jody blinked at him before glancing back down at the bucket.

She held up the box of cleaning solution. "Good old 20 Mule Team?"

"Jody, you're...brilliant!" He grabbed the bucket, tearing back down the basement and flinging the contents on the creature, and it howled and writhed in agony.

Bobby swung around, grabbing his phone and dialing John's number swiftly. "You got any way of gettin' in touch with those boys of yours?"

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dean didn't like it one bit as Gabriel transported the five of them--the red-headed Charlie included--to a location their father had disclosed to them. They'd tried to convince their father that their plans with Charlie were urgent, but according to John, this was even more important. Punctuated with a, "Don't let me down, son," Dean crumbled to his father's wishes, and now they stood in front of a worn-down house surrounded by rusting and broken scraps and heaps of cars.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Sam paused at the bottom of the steps, jerking Dean backwards and nodding towards the door. "Under the mat," he said, and Dean quirked an eyebrow as Gabriel jogged up the creaking boards and lifting the doormat. Under it lay, not surprisingly, a devil's trap in white paint. 

"Probably isn't the only one, either," Dean said. "Dad warned us the old coot's crafty as hell." He squinted up at the beams of the porch overhead. "But I don't see any Enochian sigils."

"He's not warded against angels," Castiel murmured, his eyes flicking toward the window as the curtain moved, and Charlie heaved a sigh, climbing up the stairs and knocking firmly on the door.

"Hey, hey!" Sam protested, reaching for her briefly before flinching out of range of the trap. "Careful now. Just because you're human doesn't mean you're not at risk!"

Charlie turned to roll her eyes at him dramatically when the door swung open and she ended up with a faceful of water. She sputtered, mouth half-open as she spat out a stream. "At risk of what? Ruined makeup?" she squeaked, flipping her sopping wet hair and flinging drops around. Dean ducked behind Castiel's frame as Sam hissed, slapping his hand over his neck with a curse.

"Christo!" a female voice cried out, and Sam and Dean flinched before a male voice boomed out, " _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus--_ " The two demons hissed, eyes flicking to black as they squirmed, covering their ears.

Gabriel sashayed forward, unperturbed as he raised two fingers to the man's forehead. "Boop!" The man's voice fell silent, his face quickly flushing an angry red as he opened his mouth angrily to shout at Gabriel. Nothing came out. The woman peered over his shoulder, eyes wide as she raised a gun at Gabriel. 

"Who are you?" she demanded, and Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten you invited guests, Mr. Singer," Gabriel said, smirking at the older man who just scowled back at him. "You are Mr. Singer, are you not?"

After a few long moments of glaring, the man gave a sharp nod.

"Unafraid, even in the presence of an archangel," Gabriel mused, grinning as he pulled out a brown wrapped package from his pocket. "I like this guy. M&M?" he offered, holding it out to Mr. Singer, and then the woman. They both shook their heads.

"Archangel?" the woman asked, her tone one of disbelief as her expression screwed up into confusion, anger coloring her face.

"Yep. Gabriel's the name. Ol' blue eyes back there's Cassie--" 

"Castiel, you assbutt."

Gabriel paused and raised a brow at Mr. Singer. "Ready to play nice now?"

When Mr. Singer just glared, Gabriel finally tapped his forehead again, in time for the older man to launch into an angry rant about asshole demons and monsters.

"I'm Sheriff Jody Mills," the woman finally cut in, stepping in front of Mr. Singer and offering her hand to shake. "Just ignore Bobby. He's had a trying day with the beast in his basement."

Gabriel quirked an eyebrow with a smirk. "Is that a euphemism for something?"

"Yeah, for the Leviathan bastard chained downstairs! And who the hell are you two?"

Sam winced, rubbing at his neck again where the skin was healed but still red. "I"m Sam Winchester, and that's my brother, Dean."

Bobby's face softened slightly as his eyes fell on Dean. "John's boys?"

Sam nodded, and Bobby glanced between them again.

"God, haven't seen you boys in years. You two grew up a lot." His eyes landed on Castiel, the way Dean's hand was holding tight to his. "And Castiel must be the angel your father mentioned. You're mated, right?"

Dean nodded with small, shy smile. "Yeah," he coughed and cleared his throat, schooling his expression to a sterner one. "And I think it's kind of our fault that these monsters got free. I'm sorry Earth has to suffer for it."

"We have no way of knowing if putting off our mating would have prevented their escape, Dean. If it hadn't, they still would have been freed, and our family and friends would have all been gathered in one location instead, making them easier targets to pick off," Castiel soothed, squeezing Dean's hand.

Sam cleared his throat, drawing Bobby's attention back to him. "Our, uh, our dad said you had important information for us. Something you couldn't share over the phone?"

Bobby shrugged. "I could have shared the information, but not the necessary products." He jerked his head. "Come on in."

Charlie, Gabriel, and Castiel strode in through the door, but Dean and Sam just glanced at each other, then at Bobby. "Are you kidding?" Dean asked.

"What?" Bobby asked, confused, and Dean glanced at the trap on the porch. With a sigh, the older man approached, scratching a line through the paint.

"Don't forget to fix it after we leave, capische?" Dean said as he stepped inside, and Bobby raised a brow at him.

"You tellin' me what to do, boy?"

Dean shrugged. "Nah, but I think Dad would miss you."

 

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

By the time the two angels, two demons, and one human had left Bobby's house, Jody was on her way with the Leviathan's severed head locked in a box to drop in the closest deep body of water. The body of the creature was soaked in chemicals and buried in a steel box chained and padlocked shut in the yard and surrounded by wards and spells. And the five youths? They were weighed down with armfuls of borax solution in spray bottles--a decidedly temporary solution that came with stern reminders to avoid the creatures as much as possible--as well as some other things Gabriel cheerfully coined "spy gear".

Charlie was fidgeting nervously in the back seat of the car John had requisitioned for them to fit in among humans, sandwiched between Castiel and Gabriel, and while Dean approved of said car, Sam whined that it didn't really fit in at all. The car was an older model, outstripping many cars on the road in age by a good forty or fifty years, but the trunk was large and equipped with a specially designed devil's trap in the trunk that wouldn't trap Sam or Dean, should someone attempt to shove one of _them_ in the trunk. The amount of storage hid a surprisingly large number of weapons--guns, special bullets, knives, holy water, silver, iron, bronze, and more.

What really caught Dean's eye were the spare angel blade and a knife that looked suspiciously like the one Ruby had once given to Sam before the, uh, incident. Dean shivered at the memory, and he jumped, the steering wheel jerking slightly in his grasp.

"Dean!" Sam yelped, slapping his brother's arm as Dean glanced in the rear view mirror to peer back at Castiel briefly, worry creasing the angel's brow.

"Are you alright, Dean?"

Dean shrugged as his eyes flicked back to the road. "Peachy." A second glance in the mirror told him Castiel was frowning at the back of his head, but the angel didn't press him, and Dean swallowed around the knot of guilt in his throat. They had a job to do, a problem to fix. Then he and Castiel could be happy, and maybe Dean could stop feeling like he was so wrong for wanting happiness.

Instead, he cleared his throat, glancing at Charlie. "So tell us about this whole thing with your boss."

Charlie's head jerked up and she stared at the rear view mirror for a moment before Gabriel nudged her, and she coughed. "Uh, yeah. So like I said, he got eaten. Anyway, you said you needed me to hack a university system?"

"Yep. There's a doctor who works there, Dr. Gaines." Dean glanced back again. "You're pretty, you could probably flirt your way in no problem."

"Fl-flirt??" Charlie stammered, scrunching her brow at him. "Have you forgotten the part where I'm gay? Guys are totally not my jam!"

Dean smirked, his eyes landing on his mate's reflection instead. "I dunno, that's kind of my area of expertise. And with the things Bobby gave us, I think I can walk you through it. I mean, flirting is totally my thing anyway--" Castiel rolled his eyes, "--but dudes I can definitely handle. After all, I am one." He winked when Castiel met his gaze in the mirror. "And I managed to bag myself a really sexy one, to boot. I can totally handle this."

Sam groaned, cradling his face in his hands. "Great. We're doomed."

 


End file.
